All of Our Stars
by TheLastInspiration
Summary: Percy Jackson was in no way a perfect person; then along came Diana St Claire, someone who was antisocial, intolerable to others and just as perfectly flawed. And yeah, maybe Diana would understand and maybe she wouldn't but god help him he will not let his depression conquer him again. He has only has a summer to help her understand, and for him to understand her.
1. I'll Follow You

When Diana was little her mother used to tell her all sorts of adventurous stories. Nights were lost in those worlds of magic, of adventure, of princesses and dragons. But there was one story that in Diana's mind, stood out from all the rest. It was a story about a little chick and its mother, it was of sadness and of pain but also one of valiant boys and sweet-tasting freedom.

And so the story goes like this: There once was a little chick, and its name was Angel. She lived with her mother in a nest filled with the most lovely and soft feathers. For Angel, it was the most beautiful place in the world, a place where she was loved and cared for.

One day Angel's mother left her so that she could hunt for food, and Angel watched as her mother spread her beautiful wings and flew off into the sky. Angel knew that she wanted to be like that one day, to be able to fly and feel the wind through her wings. To laugh and smile as that warm strange light drifted across her beak. And with that, she waited for her mother to come back from her trip; but a day passed and her mother didn't return; then another day.

The next day, a boy was walking around his backyard when a noise suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The boy went to investigate the noise, it was familiar but at the same time it was very different. And when he came to the base of a big tree in his backyard he found Angel on one of the branches. To the boy she was small, bald and her chirps were tired and croaky.

The boy waited to see if the Angel's mother would come back. But when it reached the afternoon, the boy realised that Angel's mother wouldn't be coming back, that Angel's mother had left for the 'Great Beyond'.

And so, the boy took Angel in.

The boy nursed Angel back to health. Slowly and eventually Angel grew, and she grew into a beautiful blue bird with the most magnificent wings. Finally, when Angel was all grown up; the boy placed Angel next to the tree where he had found her. And Angel flew away into the sky, into the beautiful bright sunlight.

Her mother told her that sometimes bad things happen to us in life, but in the end it'll all work out fine.

As a child she did believe in that. That no matter what happened to her, everything was going to be all right in the end.

But now, Diana knew just how much crap that story was full of. Life wasn't fair, there wasn't any magical entity living out there to shield us. Her mother lied, she wasn't the bird, the bird never existed. It was just a wishful delusion people lived by, because the truth was too painful to experience. People couldn't handle it.

But she was living the truth.

And it hurt, it hurt so much.

* * *

She was crying, she never cried but lately she'd been doing a lot of that. The dark clouds seemed to be crying with her, its bodies pregnant with those drops of tears. Around her the wind groaned with worry, its bite travelling through her dark coat.

Her eyes were glued to the wooden coffin in front of her. With all those shapes of black surrounding around him. Would he have liked this?

A heavy ping hit her chest. He was really gone, that had always seemed like an impossibility. He was always so confident, so strong, so loving, the glue for everyone around him. She couldn't help the small smile that graced her face; god knows what he would have said.

"Cheer up Di, death couldn't possibly hold me." She could imagine him standing next to her, with that infuriating grin on his face.

She'll never get to see that grin again, to tell him how much she loved it when he grinned like that. She laughed, god, if that happened she would never have heard the end of it.

That was just like him. Whenever she yelled at him, he would just stand there with a small grin on his face. And when she asked him what on earth he was smiling about he would say just one word.

"Nothing." She could feel his breath on her ears. It was like he was back, but at the same time he wasn't, it was all so confusing.

"You can't be grinning over nothing!" She would yell back, at that point she felt like tearing her hair out. How could someone be so happy at being yelled at?

"Yes I can," his grin would get even bigger. That was the worst part, his smiling confused her so much that sometimes she would forget what she was yelling at him about.

Don't get her wrong, she wasn't one of those girls that went instantly mushy over a guy smiling. But Percy's grin just confused her, what was there to be happy about?

And when she asked her sister about it Hestia would just send her a smirk. "What are you guys hiding from me!"

"It was just something that we talked about a few years ago." Hestia would then take a sip of her coffee and move onto other subjects like the weather.

* * *

"Hey." She turned, and there he was, looking at her with so much concern, "It's alright to cry Di. It shows you're human."

Diana shook her head, "You piss me off so much." She sniffed and wiped away her tears, even talking to imaginary Percy was hard.

Percy's expression turned sad, "You know that I didn't want to leave you. But that's life. People are born and people die. I am just a-"

"Stop it!"

Percy's brow furrowed in confusion, her voice ringing through his ears. "Stop what?"

She exploded, "Stop being like this!"

Those emotions she'd caged up, it rushed forward like an avalanche of pain, causing a numbing sensation in her fingers.

"Stop being so cynical and negative about everything! I-I can't do this. Please, stop." She wept with her hand covering her face. It was hard enough hearing it from herself, but when Percy said it, everything got so much more painful.

She felt Percy's arms wrap around her, it was warm, nice, comforting, and it was probably the last hug he'll ever give out. And as she melted into the hug, her mind recalled back to the last time they were in this situation, back when the world had colour and life.

* * *

It was daytime, an annoying stream of sunlight hitting her face; she raised her arm to her eyes, stupid sun. She rolled around with a groan and saw a mop of black hair, her eyes travelled down until it had reached a pair of bright blue eyes. She loved those eyes- though she'll never say that out loud. It reminded her of the sea, so tranquil and so beautiful. It carried so much warmth and looking at it made her feel safe, loved. Now that person was lying there on the bed with a massive grin on his face. "Good morning".

She stared, had he been watching her sleep? "What, do I have something on my face?" She was smiling too now, stupid grin was infectious!

A hand brushed her auburn coloured hair back. "Nothing, just that I'm so lucky to have you," his thumb was rubbing circles around her cheeks. "Just don't change, not for anyone," he whispered lovingly.

She frowned, he was crying. She wiped the tears away and pulled him into a hug. "Hey what's wrong, you're not usually like this," she whispered smoothly into his ear.

His face was buried on the side of neck, slowly dampening her shirt. She didn't mind, he needed her right now.

"I'm scared Diana, what if-," he choked out, muffled by her shirt.

She tensed, he was slowing dying- leukemia was running through his veins. He tilted his head up, blue met green. "I don't want to lose you… I don't want to leave you," he croaked.

She sighed; they haven't reached this point yet- discussing what they would do if he died. She mentally berated herself, 'He isn't going to die, we'll survive this'. She placed a kiss to his forehead and grasped his shoulders. A fierce look appeared in her eyes, "You're not going to die on me Ok? We'll get through this, we'll go to that specialist and you are going to get better," she breathed. A chill hit her heart, there was a part of her that didn't believe in that and it made her so angry, didn't she love him enough?

For his part he just froze, a thousand thoughts running his head. He licked his lips and his throat went dry, looking across to the person next to him, drinking in every detail. Her curled auburn coloured hair running down to her elbow, her face was lightly tanned and had the cutest nose- though she would always deny it with a huff 'It's not cute its beautiful'. But the most startling thing about her was the green eyes which somehow conveyed a thousand different emotions. He loved how it lit up when she laughed; it reminded him of the forest or when she got angry transforming into swirling whirlpools in which he could get lost in forever. Right now they were staring at him in concern. "You're right, we'll get through this," he smiled, the angst evaporated. He paused, "How come you always know what to say"?

She bopped his head, "Idiot I'm your wife, it's my job to know what to say".

He scowled and rubbed his head, "Why are you always so aggressive Diana? No wonder your parents wished me luck," he muttered.

She narrowed her eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that," a deadly tone entered her voice, promising excruciating pain.

He flinched, "Uhh, I said I loved you a lot," he pleaded and closed his eyes. Please don't kill me. Instead of pain he felt something soft press against his lips; he opened his eyes and saw that she was kissing him, her hands grasping his face. Well this is much better. He kissed her back, drinking in everything about her. Her scent reminded him back to the flowers in his parent's garden, of lilies and lavender, his hands ended up playing with the curls of her hair on the middle of her back. Eventually they broke apart for air, resting their foreheads together. "What was that for?"

"Simple, you gave the right answer," she breathed, trying to get air back. She sat up, and turned to him, "Coffee"?

He nodded, "Yeah that would be great thanks". He watched her go and let out a sigh as he rubbed his face. He didn't deserve her; she was too good for him.

He glanced up into the ceiling and a heavy weight landed on his chest. Where was God? Where is he when it hurts? He was tired, so tired but he put on a brave face because Di needed him and because he loved her. He didn't want to go; he didn't want to leave her alone so he would fight the void, for her. He would do anything for her; follow her to the ends of the earth and beyond.

He will follow her into the dark.

* * *

The door opened and a woman wearing a sliver parka and jeans walked in. A nurse was standing next to the bed; she saw her enter the room and sent her a sad smile, then left. As if saying, I'll leave you two alone to talk.

Outside snow was falling softly, covering the trees and ground in white. The figure on the bed was staring at the window across the room, staring as the snow fell to the ground. As she approached the figure on the bed turned met her and smiled softly, muttering "Hey".

She sat down on a chair next to him and mimicked the greeting back, staring at the person in front of her. He had lost a lot of weight, his once muscled physique was now almost skin and bones. His tanned skin was now pale and his once black hair was patched in different places. His face now looked tired, so tired, like he just wanted it to end. But the most startling thing was the eyes, they hadn't lost any of their sparkle or youthfulness, in fact they were even fierier. They still held the same calmness as before, perhaps even more but there was a quiet dull to it, an air of acceptance.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as an invisible knife stabbed her heart. God, what did she do to him? The person on the bed smiled and grasped her hand, as if sensing what she was thinking. "Don't pity me, Di. I don't deserve your pity".

Tears welled up between her eyes as she said guiltily," But look what I did to you. I let them start the treatment, to let them do this," she forced out the last word as she gestured to his body with her free hand.

He smirked as she gestured to him, "Ha, I always knew you liked me for my body," he said cheekily.

She laughed as she fought the urge to hit him," You're such an idiot," she muttered. Then she moved over on the bed, next to him and placed her lips on his, "But your my idiot," she whispered.

A silence filled the air as they just held each other, enjoying each company, savouring every little detail about each other. A voice broke the silence, "Diana".

She tilted her head to face him and frowned, his expression was one of anguish, and the blue eyes she loved so much had turned dark and stormy. His hands were grasping her left hand, her ring finger. "I want you to promise me something".

"Anything," she couldn't understand why he was grasping her ring like that.

His expression turned to one of internal conflict, of pain. "After all this is over I want you to try to live your life." He took off her ring and held it to her.

For a moment nothing moved the confused gaze she gave him slowly turned to shock. She shook her head numbly, the tears that she held back finally burst down her face. "No, NO I- I won't do it, I can't do it," she cried out. She pushed his hand back but his stubbornly refused to move.

His face remained grim as he persisted, "You need to take this," he pleaded. He opened her palm and put the ring on her hands, "I want you to… I want you to live our lives, the ones that we were supposed to have." He voice choked out, immeasurable pain evident throughout his face. A small smile graced his face, "Please… do it for me Di".

She did it, for him. But by now the tears had stained her pillow and turned her into a sobbing mess. She… she couldn't say anything; nothing would come out of her mouth. She wanted to scream at him, why is he doing this, acting as if he was going to die? He was just sick, he was going to get better and then they could live out the rest of their lives together. They so many places they wanted to go to, there were so many things that were ahead of them. Why? She wanted to scream, why was God, Fate- whatever so unfair? Hadn't she shown that she loved him, why, why does he have to die?

"Hey," he murmured

She turned to look into his eyes and saw that they were filled with sadness and concern. A hand started to wipe her tears away, "Don't cry for me Di, I'm not worth crying over," he whispered.

She shook her head as anger filled her, "Don't you say that Percy, don't you dare say that," she said hoarsely. "Don't think of yourself like that, if you died I- I wouldn't know what to do".

He shook his head, "I would always be with you Diana, right here," he pointed to her chest. "Besides, you're strong, stronger than me".

After that they just laid with each other, enjoying each other's company. She turned to face him. He was sleeping, a little bit of drool staining his pillow. She just stared at him for a while. 'He looks so adorable sleeping', she thought. Finally she couldn't hold it off any longer and got up to leave, as her feet touched the cold floor she felt something grasp her hand. She whirled around and saw that he was looking at her pleadingly.

"Stay with me," he whispered. And so she did.

Unbeknownst to each other that was the last thing they did together. The dark came to claim him just a few hours later. They said it was a peaceful death and his last words were to Diana and his parents. "He said he loved you. He loved you with all his heart".

* * *

She now stood in front of the open coffin staring at the face in front of her; she glanced around her and sought the eyes of a woman with brown hair and blue eyes silently weeping for her son. Their eyes met and in that moment a torrent of emotions were exchanged. Sally Jackson nodded as if to say 'It's alright now- he's in a better place'.

Her eyes went back to the face in front of her, covered by a panel of glass. He looked so peaceful and serene, exactly like the last time she saw him. People had gone before her to pay their respects and to say some words before the lowering of the body; they left her till last out of respect. She couldn't delay it any longer, she opened her mouth but no sound came out, then finding her resolve she started to speak. "There were so many things that didn't get to tell you, you were my soul mate Percy. I had thought that we were going to spend our whole life together but instead-." She choked back a sob as the tears were coming out in streams, dripping down to the glass panel above his face. "I didn't get to tell you how much I loved your smile, your eyes and how I loved how they twinkled whenever you were next to me". She paused, then continued "I don't know if there's a god or an afterlife. I hope there is, and that you are there, happy and away from all your pain." She smiled and wiped her tears away with one of her hands, "I hope that one day I'll meet you there. Remember Percy, I would always love you," she whispered hoarsely. She bent down to the glass panel and gave him a final kiss, "Goodbye," she breathed.

The body was lowered shortly after that, crowds of people came to offer their condolences but she blocked them all out. She didn't really know anyone of those people. Besides, words wouldn't bring Percy back, nothing could.

She could feel her sister's hand on her shoulder as the casket closed for the last time. She felt the streams of people walking past her soon after that. Diana didn't move, how could she?

Eventually Hestia had to drag her sister back onto earth, her brown hair cascading onto Diana's shoulder. "Come on Diana. It's time to go." She whispered.

Diana shook her head, "No. I-I can't".

Hestia's composure suddenly changed, replaced by a fire of passion and determination. "Listen to me Diana. Percy is gone! He's never coming back! Don't kill yourself by suffering like this."

Diana looked as if she'd been slapped. "But that's the thing Hestia, he's never coming back! HE IS GONE. GONE!" She screamed at her sister, she screamed at her as if Percy Jackson was gone, as if he had died, as if she hadn't said goodbye.

And Hestia? Hestia stood there, as if she didn't know what to say, as if she was looking at a person for the first time.

So she hugged her sister, she hugged her sister as the tears bled out of her heart. She hugged her and didn't let go.

Because sometimes for all our words, there comes a time where we simply run out of words.

Where our words, for all their brilliance and awe are exposed as mere consonants and vowels, as sounds. Sounds who are so loud, yet so profoundly empty.

Because words can never really understand pain.

And because of that, she hugged ... and she hugged, she hugged until her arms were tired; until her sister's voice was hoarse and croaky. Until she understood her pain — who hurts both no-one and everyone.

And so, as Diana left the cemetery with Hestia in tow. Her mind was on the day when she could follow him, where could finally say _'goodbye'_ and … _'hello',_ to finally tell him how much she loved that stupid grin of his. Because she would have followed him anywhere, even into the dark.

No.

They would have followed each other into the dark.


	2. The Waiting Game

**The Waiting Game****.**

* * *

After Diana had closed that door an empty feeling descended down into Percy's stomach. His gaze glued to the door where she had left. He wasn't going to lie, it was hard to let go. . .

"_I'll visit you tomorrow. Ok?" She lent forward and kissed his forehead. _

_He nodded blankly; he didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. He had gotten the doctors to promise him they wouldn't say anything, to tell them that he died peacefully. That was his last gift to them, however selfish it might have been. She got up, opened the door and left, sending him one last fleeting smile that sent shacks of guilt throughout his body. Had he done the right thing?_

There was a photograph on his bedside, he picked it up and just _stared_ at it for a while. Two people were in the photo, they both were rugged up, wearing blue and silver parkas with black beanies, in the background were mountainous peaks with white covering the top. They were both leaning against a railing. A woman with auburn hair and green eyes was looking quite exasperated as a man with dark black hair and blue eyes placed a kiss on her cheek, a mirthful glint in his eyes.

It was a pre-cancer photo; it was one of the last times they had been able to do something like this, to feel truly happy. He closed his eyes and gently sucked in a breath. He was so frustrated; he had long accepted his fate… after all death is just a side effect of living. Although if he was honest to himself, in some part of his mind he had always tried to fight that. Why? Because he has an important reason to fight for, _he will fight to the end for her, to his last breath. _

He sniffled and wiped away the tears on his face, though it still had fallen onto the picture. "Goddammit… why are you so emotional for, crying like a in a cliché movie?" he asked himself.

Though he knew the answer, because even though he had accepted that he was going to die- _Percy Jackson__ did not want to die__. _He touched the face of the auburn-haired woman in the picture, "I'm sorry Di. It looks like I wouldn't be able to finish the race," he smiled. "I know that we've always said that we'll finish together. I tried Di." His voice started to choke, "Believe me I tried **so **hard". He was probably going crazy, saying goodbye to a picture …" But it looks like I'll get there first. But I'll be there waiting for you. I'll wait however long you'll want me too, till the end of time".

He looked to his right, through the window next to him. It was a fantastic view, high up into the skyline he saw the hustle and bustle of night time San Francesco. A blanket of white covered it, he smiled. He'll won't get to see the snow melt, to see Spring come and breathe new life into the city. He laughed to himself, he would have liked some of that life, to see spring again, to live another day, he wasn't prepared to die.

There wasn't a lot he remembered after that, he remembered being tired, so tired and closing his eyes for a moment, _Just for a little rest._ After that he only saw flashes, a bunch of people in masks and scrubs running around his bed, with one yelling, "We're losing him".

Then darkness closed in.

* * *

The next time he opened his eyes he felt so weak- a breathing mask was on his face and that bright light above him was hurting his eyes. People were rushing around him, _'This is it,' _he thought. His lungs were wheezing with every breath he took, pain flooded everywhere throughout his body. He saw a nurse next to him, his brain fogged up as he struggled to remember who she was. Anna?- No, it was Hazel.

He gasped and she knelt down in order to hear him, a deep sadness etched into her face." Tel-Tell them that I loved them," he coughed. God, why was this so hard? He sucked oxygen to his failing lungs, he needed to do this, these would be his last words, the last thing he would ever do, "I loved them so much".

The nurse nodded and said something back, what did she say? He didn't know, hopefully it was something nice. Chills and a feeling of tightness rushed through his body, his lungs hurt so much- everything hurt. He sucked in a breath, god he was scared, he didn't want to go,_ 'Please' _he pleaded to god, **anyone** out there._' I'm so scared, there was so much'-._ His vision fogged up, everything around him started to slow, the bright light finally started to dim. He closed his eyes, his breathing grew shallower and shallower, and finally he took his last breath and went limp, enveloped by the dark tunnel ahead of him. _He never got to finish that thought_.

* * *

_The tragedy of life is not so much what men suffer, but rather what they miss- Thomas Carlyle_

* * *

He remembers floating, he remembers drifting and he remembers _dying_. It was dark; it was void of any light, sound or smell. He remembers a light, it so bright and he went to it, curious. After all what else does any creature do after being starved in darkness?

He blinked and looked down, he was alive? He looked around him, he was standing in an empty avenue, there was no one here. A large tree was swaying a few feet away from him. He remembered moving, feeling the urge explore this empty avenue. He remembered passing by a lot of shops, all boarded up and abandoned. A white flyer suddenly hit his face, he grabbed it and frowned. It was a ruled sheet of paper with bullet points written along the side, a big heading was written on the top. 'PLANS FOR THE FUTURE' it said.

He skimmed through the list and felt his heart skip a beat, this was his, this was his plans, all the things that he didn't get to do. He felt the familiar feeling of tears sliding down his cheeks, he choked back a sob, he couldn't bear to look at it.

It had been made just after he got married, they had so much plans, so much things they wanted to do. He laughed a bit, they were so naïve, so innocent, so foolish. His eyes caught something at the bottom, it was written in red, it was Diana's handwriting. He smiled, she must have written it when he was in hospital.

_Dear Percy: It looks like you won't be able to do every single thing on that list. But that's ok because I'll take you there, even if you can't lift your lazy ass up. We promised each other Percy, we have so many things to do! The next place on our list is Australia, you always wanted to see the sunset over the beach! I'll take you there Percy, don't you worry I-_.

He ran his thumb across the stain on the sheet, she must have cried while writing this message.

_You'll get better Percy, don't let anyone tell you otherwise! So you better get your brain together and beat this cancer, hey. Fight it for me Percy, fight it for us. I know you'll get better and I won't have to drag your ass to Australia. I believe in you _

_I've never told you this before, but I feel a lot safer next to you then going by myself. SO don't make me go by myself!_

_Love, Diana._

A torrent of emotions hit him as he finished reading the note: guilt, anger, sadness all mixed into one. With a roar he ripped the sheet up into little pieces and tossed it into the air, the wind picking the pieces up and scattering all across the place.

He got down to his knees and started to beat the ground, it was cold ,hard and unforgiving. His knuckles started to bleed as he continued to pound the floor, the colour red started to stain the white marble floor, spreading throughout the ground like spider web cracks. His bright green eyes were red and blank, dried tear tracks were evident on his face. Eventually he just gave up, _he gave up_. His knuckles were now shredded, its thick blood dripping down to his jeans and the cold floor. Fresh tears were streaming down his face and he collapsed face-first onto the ground, in his own blood.

What is this place? Heaven? Hell? He didn't know, and frankly he didn't care. Death had made no difference; he was still in pain, oh so much pain. He was drowning in a sea of regrets and anguish, there were so many regrets, oh so much. Faces flashed through his mind, his family, his friends but they it all landed with Diana. That flyer had sent a cold knife through his chest, he had missed it all, his life was over just like that. All those years planning and hoping, but he never got to go to any of them. Were they going to be happy without him? He certainly hoped so.

"It hurts doesn't it?" A voice from behind him said.

He whirled around and saw into the face of someone he never thought he'll again. "Dad," his voice cracked as he looked into the eyes of his long-lost father.

A sad smile appeared on the man, he had salt and pepper hair and the same blue eyes as his son. "We do not remember days, we remember moments." He gestured to his surroundings, "Hours and Days past by when we die, but those moments," he pointed the sky, where a piece of the ripped flyer flew into his hand. "These moments are the ones that will stay with us, even through death," he looked into those identical blue eyes, showing so much pain, his heart ached for his son. Why did God make this world so unfair? Had he failed him? A sigh escaped his lips as his stomach sank in realisation. He had failed his son, he had failed as a father, and most importantly, he had failed as a person.

"Where am I?" Percy croaked out. "Why am I here"? He felt lost, so lost. Was even death not enough, to release him from this world of pain, of suffering. He had lost so much, couldn't he just for once- doesn't he deserve happiness!

"This is Oblivion," his father said softly. He slowly approached his son and a tinge of pride hit him. He had grown, he had grown so much. He then pushed back the tears as he realised that, that he had missed so much. He still remembered when Percy was a little kid, pleading with him to teach how to ride a bike.

He gave a sad smile as he looked at the broken figure of his son, he had gone through so much, he was no longer the sweet little kid he knew so well, but a familiar stranger inhabited the body. "Sometimes… sometimes people leave with a lot of regrets, of memories of days that should have been, would have been and could have been. This is Oblivion, where you leave behind those dreams and memories. You leave them to the passing of time, and they… slowly fade away," he finished softly.

"But why! WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS," he stood up and roared at the man he once called his father. His eyes were puffed and red, beyond the point of just crying. He clenched his fists, and small amounts of blood dripped to the white marble floor.

His father looked serene and calm, but a tinge of sadness was visible around his eyes, they had darkened, just like his son's. "Like I said, Oblivion is a sea of regrets. There was only one regret that I couldn't let go of," he sighed. Seeing his son's confused expression he gave him a sad smile, "It was you Percy, you were the one regret that I couldn't get let go. You were my anchor to Oblivion. You were my only child, and I had abandoned you and your mother when you needed me. And for that I am truly sorry".

"YOU SHOULD BE SORRY. YOU LEFT US, YOU LEFT US AND WE NEEDED YOU. I FELT- I felt so alone, you left me to take care of ourselves." He choked up as he said the last part.

"You didn't need me Percy, I wasn't good for you. I was always drunk and I was afraid I would hurt either of you. I left because I loved you, leaving you and your mother was the hardest thing I had to do." When no response was given, he carried on "I wanted to help you Percy, you can only truly move pass Oblivion when you have released all of your regrets and dreams".

"How do I do that? I have so much regrets and unfulfilled dreams," he threw up his hands in anguish.

His father looked pained, "If you were given the chance to go back, would you do it Percy? With a new life, to let go of all your regrets and dreams, and to try again, to have another chance at life".

For a moment, everything stood still, nothing moved, not the trees, the leaves, the wind, nothing. Everything stood still as the first question was posed, the first question ever asked by men, the question that would be reiterated for thousands of years. _If I had another chance, would I go back?_ He was tempted, so much different thoughts flashed through his head but they all converged onto one thought. _Am I willing to give up Diana?_ Moments and memories flashed through his mind, _was he willing to give all that up. All those experiences and moments, just to live another life._ His heart tugged as his mind raged, rationally against love, he didn't know who to pick, he was so confused. His flashed back, to a day where life was simple, where he felt loved and valued.

* * *

_It was in the afternoon the sun was bright and slowly moving into the trees, he was on a chair in the backyard reading a book when he came across a quote in the author's note. It said,_

'_Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile'-_ _Franklin P. Jones_

_He had laughed when he saw this quote, what was it doing in an action novel? He showed it to Diana with a laugh, who just smiled wistfully and said to him,"I think that is very true. Well, at least I certainly hope so because I spent all this time looking for you!" she finished off with a laugh._

* * *

That moment flashed back to him as he realised something. Something that he had forgotten, _his love for Diana overrode his love for his own life_. With a new-found resolve he started to speak, "I wouldn't want to live out my life again," he let a sad smile grace his face.

While father looked on with a glassy expression, his smile turned bigger as he continued, "Why would I go back if I can't remember anything. I would rather wait and be dead then be alive and forget about Diana. To forget my love for her, to forget everything we did, to forget… to forget her," he trailed off wistfully. And in that moment, _Percy Jackson realised the single most valued thing about life. _

His father started to laugh, it wasn't a sad laugh or a cruel laugh. Rather it was a happy laugh, a boisterous laugh. "Bravo Percy, bravo." Seeing his son's confused expression he gave him a hug and clapped his back. He grasped his son's shoulders and started to look at him, a tinge of regret hit him as he was once again reminded that he had missed so much, that this wasn't the son that he had known, that son had grown up without him and turned out to be a better man than his father.

"What are you talking about Dad? I answered no, I didn't choose for rebirth".

"Ahh, but that's exactly the problem, you said no." There was a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at his son proudly. He continued his explanation, "You see, what people fail to realise is that Oblivion isn't where you _dump _all your regrets and memories. Rather, it is a place where you _accept_ your regrets, where you have to ask yourself. Would I give up my life? Would I give up everything. The friends I've made, the people I've loved, would I be willing to give all that up? And you answered correctly; you are willing to live with your regrets rather than to give up everything".

As he said that the world around them started to crumble, the shops started to disintegrate into dust, the trees started to melt away. "What's going on?" Percy asked, alarmed.

His father laughed again, "This world has started to pass, the next step of your journey is here. Oblivion was never the afterlife, it was just the crossroad," but as he said that he too was fading away. The winds around them started to baffle, slowly turning into a tornado, and they were right in the middle of it.

"Where are you going," Percy tried to shout over the wind. His father merely chuckled.

"Onto the next destination, to the next step of life," and then he too was baffled away by the wind. Percy tried his best to hold on, but eventually the wind was too great and he too closed his eyes, _the void enveloped him yet again._

Where he went, that's another story. Some would say that he was accepted by death, that he went freely into death's hold. But what is death then the next stage of life? We wait and wait, we wait to play this waiting game.

But who are we playing it with? That's the question.

* * *

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live - Mark Twain

* * *

**I'm realising you guys are quitting after this chapter. I've got to say, keep reading! It's not as depressing as you think! If you think this chapter is depressing, then you need to read this again. **

**Because it's much more than that! It's so much more than that! So please, read it again, and try to understand! **


	3. The Long Awaited Dream

**AN: Hey! I'm finally back with a new story, school has been a pain so that's why I'm late. This is the last of the 'A fire Love' trilogy. I hope you guys enjoy.**

**Recommend you read the other two. 'I'll Follow You Into the Dark' And 'The Waiting Game' before you read this.**

**Dedication: This one is dedicated to my Geography teacher. Thank you for supporting my writing and encouraging me to keep going. Got this chapter out for you.**

**Fun Fact of the Day: **Percy was originally a blonde in the first draft.

* * *

The air was chilly, and the blades of wind went all the way to her bones. But the fire drove away the cold. The warmth driving back the cold as she placed her hands over the fire. The woman sitting in front of her had that constant warm smile; it was always so homey and inviting.

She had the look of a natural beauty, with her reddish brown hair that reached to her shoulders, warm brown eyes with specks of red. She was wearing a violet blouse with jeans, and it honestly made her feel inadequate.

She looked at her own clothes, which was a light green t-shirt with sliver leaves on the front. She fidgeted with her ripped jeans, her own dark hair tumbling down her shoulders.

The forest around them was silent; the only sounds came from the creatures living in the night. There was a full moon tonight, its beams illuminating their vision. She always liked the moon, it was something that was hereditary, her mother always loved the moon. She could see a new star in the sky tonight, it was so bright. As she stared at it a feeling of emptiness started to form in her chest.

"Aunt Hestia"…

"Yes, Bianca." An amused voice rang out.

"Can you tell me more about dad," she turned to face her Aunt. "Pleasee".

Her aunt had a small smile, "Well what brought this on," she asked.

"There is a new star in the sky, and…" Bianca trailed off, she bit her lips, it was kind of embarrassing to tell her why.

She hasn't asked that question for years. Though, when she was little she asked that question during every one of their camping trips but she always got vague replies. And as the years went by her curiosity melted away, she just gave up on asking. But tonight was different, there was something on heart, she wanted to know more, to learn about this stranger, to _understand _him. She vaguely remembered something her mother told her as a child, "_When someone dies they don't go away forever". She was in her bedroom and her mother was cuddling her on her lap. They were both looking out the window, where the sky was bright and twinkling. _

"_Where do they go," she had asked. _

_Her mother pointed to a star in the sky, "They become stars. So they can always watch over us. Your father is always here." She poked her chest, "In your heart, and he'll always love you"…_

She was snapped out of her reverie by her Aunt's voice. "And? You can tell me Bianca," her aunt coaxed.

"There's no particular reason," she lied, staring at her knees. "I just want to know more about him." Well at least that was true.

Hestia's expression softened, "What do you want to know"?

"What was he like? How did he meet mom? And…" She paused. "Would he have loved me?" She said softly.

Hestia looked a bit uncomfortable, "Perhaps you should ask your mother these questions".

"No! You know her; she always changes the subject or gives some vague reply when I ask her. I'm sick of not knowing anything about my own dad," she said angrily.

Hestia sighed, "I guess it's about time I told you about your father." She studied her niece's face, "You have his eyes, there was only one person I knew with that particular shade of blue. You have his hair as well. To be honest you look a lot like him," Hestia said tiredly. She didn't really want to relieve painful memories.

"But what was he like? How did he act? What was his personality like?" She pushed on, she already knew all that, she wanted to know what kind of person her father was.

Hestia looked a little pained, "When I first met him he was polite, but a bit too laidback. He always tried to make a joke out of everything, and when things got difficult he would just shrug it off…" Hestia began to tell her everything she noticed about her father, from all the obvious traits to the smallest quirks.

After she had finished they sat together in silence. Bianca was puzzled, there was something that had been on her mind while her aunt had been talking. "Aunt Hestia".

"Hmm." She was poking the fire with a stick.

"Did you- Did you love dad? Not love him, but _love_ him," She asked seriously.

Her aunt froze at that question; an unreadable expression was on her face. After a while she finally spoke, "What gave you that idea"?

For the first time in her life Bianca was afraid of her aunt. There wasn't any of her usual warmth when she spoke, instead an impassiveness settled on her. "It's just that- that when you spoke about dad there was this aura about you. There was happiness, but also this hidden sadness when you spoke about him, like you loved him…" She said hesitantly.

Hestia stared at the fire, her face still void of any emotion. It was really unsettling her, she had never seen her like this. Just when she was about to burst, to yell at her to say something she saw her aunt's mouth open.

"I did love your father. Once, a long time ago," She admitted.

Bianca frowned, "Did he know"?

Hestia shook her head, her eyes had a faraway look, "Your father was one of those people who were extremely dense when it came to relationships. He wouldn't have known I had feelings for him unless I told him. Besides, there was your mother as well," she said wryly.

"Did mom know? That you had feelings for dad"?

Hestia pondered her answer before speaking, "I did tell your mother, eventually." She cracked a smile, "I told her the day after her engagement".

"Was she angry?" Bianca hadn't heard about this side of story, she was shamefully curious.

Hestia hummed, "At first she was, she was hurt and annoyed that I didn't tell her all those years. But we eventually made up a few months after".

Bianca nodded, but there was still an nagging feeling in the back of her mind, "Aunt Hestia," she hesitated, "What does it feel like to be in love"?

At this Hestia's entire demeanor changed, she sent an anguished smile at her niece, "For me it was the most painful thing in the world. What was the point of love if you knew the other didn't love you back? What was its purpose?

* * *

A pair of blue eyes opened in alarm. He rushed up, his hands were shaky and his clothes and sheets were drenched with sweat. He wiped his face with his hand. He glanced over to the clock on his nightstand. 8:00am, he had slept in.

_That was such a weird dream_, he thought. Strange, it was vivid, for a second there he had actually thought it was real. _Really Percy? You getting married? Having a daughter?_ He chided himself; it was probably the late night ice-cream he has been having for the past few days.

He dragged himself out of bed reluctantly, and trudged to his bathroom sink. He opened the tap and splashed his face with water, feeling the chill waking him up. The sun had risen a few hours before hand, its light streaming in from his windows. And bringing with it the warmth of the morning, driving back the coldness of the night.

The light reflected onto his face, he sighed and dragged his hand through his black hair. His eyes skimmed through a calendar hanging on his bathroom door, a big circle signifying the importance of this day. It was his birthday today! He was turning the big old age of eighteen

_Amazing. I can get wasted anytime I want now,_ he thought sarcastically. He walked out of his room and into the smiling face of his mother. She was busy making pancakes in the kitchen, flipping the pancakes like a professional chef.

"Happy Birthday Percy!" His mother beamed. Her son was so grown up now, he wasn't the cute little kid that asked her for cookies whenever he came back from school. He was now eightteen and a Senior as well!

Percy couldn't stop that the smile that appeared on his face, his mom always had that effect on people, she'll always manage to get them to smile. "Thanks mom." He went to give her a hug but grimaced as he felt his bones cracking, his mom was freakishly strong.

"Oh I'm so proud of you Percy," Sally muttered.

"Yeah. Umm. Can you let go now," Percy whispered. "You're kind of crushing me"

Sally let go with a smile but her face dropped slightly as she realised "Oh I forgot about the pancakes." Thankfully they weren't burnt and still tasted amazing.

"Are you going this year?" Sally asked as Percy put his plate in the sink.

Percy nodded, she was referring to the Summer Camp he had been attending since he was twelve. "I'm going back as a counselor this year," he turned on the hot water and started to wash the dishes.

Sally stared at her son fondly, "I never thought I'll see the day when you'd become a counselor".

Percy chuckled, "Yeah me too. I was always the one that would make trouble for my counselors, and now I have to be a counselor." He smiled wryly, the irony wasn't lost on him. He turned off the hot water and dried his hands on a tea towel, "Well, I'm off to pack my bags".

His mom moved to let him pass as he walked out of the kitchen and into his room. He found the small suitcase under the bed and began packing. He packed light: shirts, shorts and jeans, toiletries, all the essentials. "Well it looks like I'm done here," he muttered as he zipped up his suitcase.

He was about to leave when something caught his eye, a flash of bronze on top of his cupboard. He picked the object up gingerly and blew the dust off. It was a bronze ballpoint pen given to him by his father. He contemplated on whether he should take it with him or leave it. A sigh escaped his lips when he slipped the pen into his pocket. He should have thrown the stupid thing away when he had the chance.

He walked out of his house and parked his suitcase next to his car. It was a blue Prius he got last year, it wasn't the best looking car, but it did the job.

"Are you going now?" A voice rang out.

Percy glanced over to his mom, who had a sad expression on her face. "Hey, cheer up mom. I'm only going for the summer, I've done this trip for 4 years straight," he sent her a crooked smile.

"Yeah but you know me, I always worry about you," she approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine mom. Don't worry about me." He could hear his mom sighing as he chucked his suitcase into the boot and started the engine. "Seeya," he waved to his mom as he reversed out of the driveway.

Sally Jackson watched her son drive out and leave anxiously. She had a feeling that this year would be different for her son. Whether good or bad she did not know.

* * *

Percy was humming as he cruised into Half-Blood Hill, his surrounding slowly turning into one with trees and paddocks. He looked out as he drove by a large field filled with strawberries. That was what the Summer Camp did during the off-seasons, they were a strawberry farm.

He couldn't wipe the grin on his face as got out of his car. Many of the campers had already arrived before him. Some familiar faces were also present. He saw Katie Gardner waving at him from her cabin while watering her plants. Will Solace was busy at the Archery range instructing the younger campers on how to shoot an arrow.

"Ahh. Percy how are you?" There was a booming voice from behind him.

He turned around, "Chiron! I haven't seen you in ages. And I'm doing pretty well right now." A wheel-chair bound man approached him.

"Look at you Percy. I remember when you first came to Camp Half-Blood, you were that child that would always brood in the corner. Now you've grown up into a man, even a counselor"!

Percy rubbed the back of his head as the campers around them laughed."Yeeahh. I'm sorry about that," he said sheepishly.

Chiron nodded, "I trust you know where to go," it wasn't a question, rather a statement.

Percy turned and left, dragging his suitcase along the ground. He passed several people and cabins along the way. He smiled as he passed the Big House, a large blue colonial house with white trimmings on the roof. There was a rock climbing wall and a sandpit, where kids were currently playing volleyball. Even after all these years he would still get excited about this place. He guessed that it was just that energy, that feeling of childish delight.

He stopped when he reached the steps of his own crème coloured cabin. Well it wasn't _his_ cabin, it was the counselors' cabin, where all the camp counselors bunked. He walked inside and was immediately swamped by two guys.

"Woah don't jump me!" Percy threw his hands up in surrender.

"Come on Perce. Don't tell me that you've forgotten us already." The pair looked like twins with their matching brown hair and mischievous grins.

Percy cracked a smile, "Travis! Connor! I haven't seen you for quite some time".

"That's because-"

"We've been busy-"

"With our shop," they chorused together. It was unnerving how in sync they were with each other, that they knew each other's sentences before they spoke it.

Percy nodded; he remembered that the twins had managed to save up enough money last summer to open up a toy shop. "So how is business right now"?

The twins shared a look with each other before replying with bright smiles, "It's going great-"

"It's been quite popular-"

"The prank products have been a massive hit especially".

"That's great guys," Percy was happy for them. The shop had been a lifelong dream for the twins and it was great to see it working out.

He walked to the end of the room, and slid his suitcase under his bed. There were three bunk beds in the room, and plaques with the names of each counselor could be found at the base of the bed. He ran his fingers over the bronze, his thumb tracing the engraving. _Percy Jackson. _

"Percy?" A voice from behind him snapped him out of his musings.

"Yeah?" He turned around to see Thalia Grace smirking at him. She was wearing a shirt from a band he'd never heard about, with black jeans and a leather jacket. Her black hair was spiked up everywhere, and her electric blue eyes shone.

"It's good to see you fishface."

"Good to see you too airhead." It was an ongoing joke between the two; both had different affinities for sports. While Percy loved sports to do with the water, Thalia loved sports to do with the air.

"Aquaboy".

"Supergirl".

"Seawe-"

"Girls, girls that's enough. We're supposed to be responsible leaders this year," Travis interrupted.

"Percy? Responsible! That's a riot," Thalia laughed.

"Hey! You know that it wasn't my fault last year," Percy protested.

"Suure. I believe you," Thalia nodded sagely.

A comfortable silence filled the room as the four grinned at each other. Percy decided to break the silence. "So how many people do we have this year"?

"We're a man down this year, only eleven counselors," Connor said.

Percy wasn't surprised, after what happened last year he doubted that person would've come back.

"I'm gonna go up and unpack," Thalia dragged her purple suitcase past Percy and up the stairs, to the right of his bed.

He watched her go with a thoughtful expression, his mind still on what happened the year before.

* * *

The counselors were all in the Big House, sitting around the ping-pong table in the rec room. Chiron was at the head of the table, instructing them on how the camp was going to be run this year.

"Since we're a person down this year that means each counselor will have to take one more child onboard. Now the schedule's is determined by the counselors of each cabin, there cannot be more than two cabins at a particular activity at the same time…"

Percy tuned him out; he already knew how it worked from the numerous years that he had been here. He looked around the table and scanned the faces.

There was Thalia's younger brother, Jason Grace, a 17 year old who had blonde hair and the same eyes as his sister.

Piper McLean was next to him, a girl with a chocolate-coloured complexion and choppy brown hair.

The two Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor.

Katie Gardner, a girl with green eyes and brown hair.

Hazel Levesque, an African American with shoulder-length curly cinnamon brown hair and gold eyes.

Next to her was Leo, an Latino elf, with his overexcited brown eyes he couldn't stop moving, his hands fidgeting and tapping against the table.

Percy noticed that some of the chairs were empty; he guessed that the others were either late or too lazy to come to the meeting. He wished that he had joined them, this meeting was pretty boring. '

"-That will not be tolerated this year… Percy!".

He snapped forward, "Yeah"?

"What did I just say?" Chiron tone was one of disapproval as he narrowed his eyes.

Jason was trying to mouth something, what was it? He decided to take a punt,"Uhh. No outrageous pranks this year"?

Chiron's expression softened a bit, "Close enough Percy, I expect you to pay more attention next time".

Percy let out a breath he had been holding as Chiron finally declared the end of the meeting and everyone started to rush out. He got out of his chair and started to walk to the stairway. But when he took the first step he felt his vision dim and his chest tighten. He stumbled backwards but felt a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"Hey Perce, are you ok?" Jason looked at him worryingly.

Percy placed a hand on his forehead; a wave of nausea hit him. He took sharp shallow breaths as his vision had started to come back to normal. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine".

Jason gave him one last glance before walking up the stairs, leaving Percy at the bottom.

He stood there for a bit, _What on earth was that?_ Perhaps he was tired, maybe he'll just sleep it off.

* * *

A week had passed since Percy arrived at Camp Half-Blood and so far life had been going pretty smoothly. He was now at the Archery Range, teaching his cabin mates on how to shoot a bow.

"So you've got to stand like this when you're holding a bow. Your feet should be apart, about a shoulder's width. Facing ninety degrees at the target and shoot." He brought the strings of his bow back and released it with a relaxed flourish. The arrow flew from his bow and landing just outside the bulls-eye. "Almost," he muttered to himself.

He turned back to face his cabin members, a few of them were looking at him with adoration and respect, while the others were looking bored out of their minds. Percy scratched the back of his head while looking at that group, how on earth did his counselors get him to do anything?

He decided to just go for it started to pass around the bows that were lying next to his feet. "Now I want everyone to start practicing their archery." Hearing the groans from the group he put his hands up, "I know, I know. I wasn't the best at archery either when I first started. But the trick is to keep practicing and preserve through it".

He stood back as his cabin mates started to work on their archery, a few of them grumbled as they picked up their bows but managed to shoot grudgingly. He had to correct some here and there, "Make sure you keep your arms straight when you shoot," he said to a young girl with dark brown hair. He moved on to the person, a blonde boy about fourteen, "Good. Keep your feet apart at a shoulders-length".

"Well who would've thought it? Percy Jackson teaching kids on how to shoot an arrow." A mirthful voice from behind him said.

He whirled around and found himself face to face with the smirking face of Zoe Nightshade. Her black hair was brushed as always, and her dark brown eyes were filled with mirth. Her orange Camp Half-Blood shirt contrasted with her copper coloured skin.

"Haha. That's very funny Zoe," he said sarcastically. "And what can I say, my teacher was actually decent," he gave her a knowing smirk.

Zoe's nostrils flared up dangerously, "You shouldn't be so surprised given the skill of your instructor," a steely tone entered her voice.

Percy snorted, "Methinks one thinks too highly of herself".

"I should, considering how I managed to get the _worst_ archer I have ever seen to improve to this level," she gestured to his arrow, still stuck on the target.

Percy sighed, "Fine. Thank you. There I said it".

Zoe's composure softened ever so slightly, "Hmm. I might accept your gratitude. It depends on the extent of my grace".

"…You're a jerk sometimes you know that".

"So I have been told," she sniffed and walked away.

Percy watched her leave incredulously; she was never going to change was she?

It was in the late afternoon when he heard a commotion coming from outside his cabin. He put down the book he was reading, "And in my free period as well," he muttered. This was usually the time where the counselor's got some free time, and the campers were allowed the chance to do almost anything they wanted.

He quickly rushed down the steps, pausing to see what was going on. There was a large gathering of campers around the large pine tree that marked the entrance to the camp.

A white Audi hatchback drove into the camp, the driver parking their car next to his. He walked closer into the crowd in an attempt to see who it was. He saw Chiron push forward from the crowd and approach the parked car.

The doors opened and two women stepped out of it. One was about five foot three, with shoulder-length wavy reddish brown hair, she was wearing a maroon coloured dress with stockings and ballet flats. She was beautiful, a kind of warm beauty. But the other one was what truly caught his eye. Percy felt himself suck in a breath sharply, she taller than the other girl, about five foot six. Her curly auburn-coloured hair reached to the middle of her back, her skin seemed to glow as the sun started to set. She turned and met Percy's eyes; they were the most surprising shade of green.

She walked over to Chiron, shouldering a bag. "My name is Diana," she smiled at Chiron. "This is my sister Hestia," she gestured to the other girl behind her. "We're going to be staying here for a while".

From that day on Percy Jackson's world changed, his entire reality. When the two horizons met, their world was forever changed.

* * *

**AN: **

**So what do you think? Are you interested enough for me to continue? Remember to Read and Review**

**Ok I admit it. This is my version of 'The Fault in Our Stars'. I reject Green's book and replace it with my own ideas.**


	4. Understanding You

**AN: Yes I am back, there was a slight delay because my Uncle broke his arm in an accident and he had to borrow my room for a couple of days, so no writing for me ****.**

**But today is my birthday (at least in 'Merica) so I wanted to get this chappie out to you guys. Enjoy!**

**Dedication: **This one is dedicated to my friend Korra. Hope you feel better :)

**Quote of the Day: '**The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.'

* * *

Murmurs and whispers broke out in the crowd as Diana made that declaration. Percy was mildly surprised, not a lot of people enrolled this late into the camp term.

Chiron furrowed his eyebrows, as if trying to recall something, "Ah. Yes I did receive the application your father sent. I welcome you to Camp Half-Blood Miss St. Claire," Chiron wheeled forward to shake Diana's hand, which she accepted gingerly. "Do you need help with finding your cabins"?

Diana glanced at her sister, who was nodding in agreement, "I guess that we will need a tour of the place," she said grudgingly.

Chiron pivoted around and scanned the crowd behind him, "Percy. Come here please". The crowd around Percy took a step backwards as his name was called. He sighed and walked towards the pair, his hands firmly hidden in his pockets. He put up a hand awkwardly and sent a crooked grin to the pair, what else was he supposed to do in front of pretty girls?

Diana regarded him calculatingly, her green eyes shone with an indistinguishable emotion. Percy felt shivers run up his spine at those cold eyes. Perhaps this won't go as well as he thought it would.

"Percy would you please escort these two young ladies around the camp for the day. Give them a tour of the place," Chiron said. He looked at the crowd gathering around them, "Well what are you waiting for kids? Off you go, shoo." The crowd around them quickly dispersed, Percy saw the well-concealed grins of the other counselors. Travis even gave him a thumbs up and mouthed 'Good luck' as he walked back.

Diana saw that, and if anything managed to look at him even more frostily, her green eyes matching the colour of her shirt, paired with grey jeans. Percy mentally reminded himself to go kill Travis later. He crouched down, to Chiron's ears, "Chiron, where do I take them"?

Chiron looked at him strangely, as if he had just asked a stupid question, "To the Artemis Cabin, where else would they go"?

Percy raised an eyebrow, the Artemis cabin was an all-girl cabin, and luckily enough Zoe Nightshade was the counselor for that cabin this year. "But why the Artemis cabin? Wouldn't it be better if they went to the other co-ed cabins"?

Chiron put up a hand to stop him, "I have my reasons for it Percy. Miss St. Claire." He looked at the two in front of him, "Specifically requested to stay in the Artemis cabin," Chiron spoke softly.

At this Percy nodded in defeat and rose back up. He forced a smile, "So let's get started with the tour," he clapped his hands together.

Diana looked impassive at that, but Hestia nudged her. "I'm looking forward to it," Diana managed a small smile.

Percy grinned at Hestia; at least one person wouldn't be a total zombie during the tour.

* * *

"So over there is the Archery range, where we obviously practice our skill with the bow. There's a sword-fighting arena, where we have mock fights." He looked at the pair; Diana was staring at the arena curiously, while Hestia had a frown on her face.

"Why a sword-fighting arena?" Diana asked.

Percy shrugged, "It's just something that Camp Half-Blood offers. Didn't you read the brochure?" He looked into Diana's puzzled expression and concluded that she hadn't. Guess he'll have to start from scratch.

"Isn't it dangerous to give swords to children and tell them to fight?" Hestia spoke up.

Percy laughed, "That's what I said when I first got here. But don't worry the swords here are blunt, and the kids are always supervised by a counsellor or Chiron." Seeing how Hestia didn't look convinced he continued, "And you've got to remember that all of the campers here have 'issues'," he air quoted. "Whether that is depression, anxiety, ADHD, dyslexia, abuse, family problems. All these activities help the kids, it takes their minds off the pain," he finished softly. In the corner of his eye he noticed that Diana had stiffened and Hestia looking at her worryingly, but he wouldn't push the subject.

"Why are you here? If you don't mind me asking," Hestia added quickly.

Percy smiled, and pondered on whether he should tell them. "Growing up I had a lot of family problems. And because of those problems I grew up depressed and angry at my life." He sighed, "I guess my mom just had enough my moping and saw how I was cutting myself off from the world".

Hestia frowned, she wouldn't want to wish that on anyone, "And are you better now"?

Percy laughed mirthlessly, "Better? I guess that I am better. Would I say I was cured? I wouldn't know".

There was a few moments of silence, no one really knowing what to say. Hestia looked saddened, while Diana no longer held that look of cold indifference.

"I'm sorry," a voice called out.

Percy glanced at Diana, blinking as he registered a genuine apology from her. "It's fine, you don't have to feel sorry for me," he sent her a smile, a genuine smile. He looked up into the sky, the sun was sitting on the horizon, its light changing into a dim orange. He started to jog, "Come on, there's one more place I want to show you,"

Diana staggered behind for a bit, watching the retreating figure of Percy Jackson with a small smile. Perhaps he was different.

* * *

They stopped when they reached a large maple tree. Surrounding it were masses of flora and bushes. Diana smelled the air, it tasted salty. She could hear a faint crashing sound, it was something familiar but she couldn't recall what it was.

"Come on, it's just through here," Percy muttered, he ducked under a branch and trudged forward. He looked back at the pair behind him, "Come on, I promise it'll be cool." Diana hesitated and glanced at her sister, who was rolling her eyes and pushing her to go. She took a breath and walked forward, into the sandy beaches of Long Island.

Diana felt the sand on her soles of her shoes and the gentle cries of birds from above. She was mildly surprised; it had been a long time since she had been to the beach.

Ahead of her Percy was standing barefoot in the water. Diana walked up to him, he looked so serene standing there, staring at the water, going in and out.

"It's quite beautiful here," Hestia murmured, having walked up next to them.

Percy hummed in agreement, "I discovered this place during my first year here. And I been in love with this place ever since," he whispered.

Diana could see why, it was a beautiful place, especially during sunset. The sky was blood orange, but tints of blue were visible along the horizon. The moon had started to open its eyes, covering the other half of itself. "It really is," she agreed.

Percy studied her intently; she could feel his intense gaze on the side of her face. Her cheeks started to feel hot, _Was there something on her face_?

"Tell me something about youse," he said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "I don't know anything about you two," he pointed to the pair.

Diana didn't know if she could trust this boy, he seemed alright, but she still had her reservations, "Isn't that a bit too forward, you barely know us," she said.

"Exactly, I want to know you two lovely ladies better," he sent them a crooked grin.

Diana couldn't help but laugh, "Was that meant to be a pick-up line"?

Percy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Was it really that bad"?

Diana was silent for a moment, looking at her sister with a small smile. Hestia sighed, "Don't worry about her Percy. How about you start first, introduce yourself".

Percy grinned and sat down on the sand, the others following suit. He cleared his throat before starting, "My name is Percy Jackson, I'm eighteen and I'm a Senior this year. I have the most amazing mom, who was my rock for a large part of my life. I was twelve when I first came to Camp Half-Blood, and I don't regret a moment of it".

Hestia looked a bit uncertain, glancing at her sister for a moment. A silent conversation was passed between the two.

'_Do you think that we can trust him'?_

'_He's not a bad guy Di'_

'_Still…'_

'_Look trust me on this. Ok?'_

'…_Fine'._

Hestia started to speak, "My name is Hestia St. Claire, I'm sixteen years old and I'm a freshmen this year. I enjoy cooking, dancing and camping. Our father," she faltered for a bit, gesturing to the two of them. "Is Logan St. Claire." She finished, studying for a reaction.

Percy raised an eyebrow, "That Shakespeare guy"?

Diana laughed, and Hestia laughed with her, "Not just the Shakespeare 'guy', he's been a ton of movies." Diana said between chuckles.

Percy blushed, "I dunno, I only know him because I had to study Shakespeare for Drama. I only remember my favourite line… _'__The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.' " _He quoted.

"_Julius Caesar_, Act 1, Scene 2, " Diana muttered, she was quite surprised. Not a lot of people remembered her father from his early days in the theatre. Nowadays he was so busy being swarmed by his legions of fans, or promoting his new movies.

Percy grinned at her, "I quite liked that line. It reminded me of how our own lives aren't determined by fate, some all-powerful god or something. That we are free to determine and make our own decisions, our own paths"

Diana was taken back, "That was an interesting interpretation." She managed a smile. She felt like she could trust him, maybe she'll give him a chance.

"It's your turn now, and don't think you can wiggle out of it." Percy made a circle figure with his forefinger. He wanted to know about this girl, she was different, there was something about her.

Diana raised an eyebrow, "Well, someone is really eager." Hestia laughed, Percy seemed to be a great guy, he had a great nature.

"No, it's not that" Percy shook his head, the girls didn't believe him for a moment. "It's just that we had a deal. I introduce myself and then you introduce yourself," he lifted a finger in Diana's direction.

Diana sighed, "My name is Diana St. Claire , I am Hestia's older sister," she pointed to the girl next to her. I'm a senior this year, and I'm not going to tell you my age," she smirked. "I enjoy hiking and travelling, I want to travel around the world someday," she said a tad wishfully. "And that's all I'm willing to share," she said.

* * *

The moon had long risen in the sky before Percy jumped up and hurriedly dragged the two girls back to the camp. He guessed that they just talked for too long.

"So where are we going?" Diana panted. The beach was on the other side of the island, so it was quite a distance to jog back.

Percy looked up into the sky, the stars were always visible in Camp Half-Blood, it was a perk of having a small of number of people in a large area. He could see the constellations of Castor and Pollux, the twins, they were particularly bright tonight. "We're late for dinner, I lost track of time." As he said that a light appeared on the horizon of their vision. They had reached the line of torches that marked the pavilion.

"Where is the roof?" Hestia frowned. "What do you do when it rains"?

Percy laughed, "That's exactly what I said to my counsellor during my first year. You see all those holes in the middle of the tables?" Hestia nodded. "When it rains we put in awnings in the tables. The food gets a little cold, but eh, I can't complain," he shrugged.

Their arrival into the dining pavilion was met with jeers and whistling. Percy felt his face turn red when he saw his 'friends' snickering as he entered the pavilion. He immediately felt self-conscious as he realised that he was still holding onto the hands of the girls. He let them go quickly and hid his hands behind his back.

"Oi Perce, you've only known those girls for like four hours and you've already got them hanging off your arms," Travis cheered from the counsellors table.

"Shut up Travis," Katie said, swatting him on the arm.

Percy sent his best death glare at Travis; the little punk was going to die slowly and painfully, but he wasn't the only one. Diana was also glaring at Travis with a ferocity that would melt glaciers.

Percy gulped, _If looks could kill…_

Chiron saw their entrance into the dining pavilion and wheeled towards them. "Percy! I hope that the tour was a success." There was a twinkle in his eyes that made Percy slightly uneasy.

"It went well?" He looked to Diana, who looked amused.

"It was fine, we had some bonding time. Got to know each other a bit better," Diana said.

"That is good to hear," Chiron said, he looked at Percy, "Did you explain to them the seating arrangements for meal times"?

"Ahh no I didn't," Percy said sheepishly.

Chiron gave him a pointed look, but didn't press further. He turned to the girls, "During meal times the campers are to sit with their designated cabins, and since you applied for the Artemis cabin you'll sit with them," Chiron pointed to a table with girls sitting around it, with Zoe Nightshade at the head.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Percy looked at Diana and Hestia. "So… I guess that I'll see youse later," he raised a hand awkwardly.

Diana's mouth twitched upwards at his display, "I guess that we will," she said. And with that they went their separate ways.

* * *

Percy approached his table apprehensively and inwardly groaned when he saw the smirking faces of the other counsellors. He sat down next to smirking face of Piper McLean.

"So did you have fun on your tour~" Piper sang.

Percy didn't answer, opting to stuff food into his mouth, "Fth iz lood parbeque".

"What?"

"He said _'This is good barbeque'_," Leo spoke up.

Piper frowned, "Typical Percy, tries to avoid the question".

"Lay off him Piper, he obviously doesn't want to talk about it," Jason chided. Percy sent him a grateful look, which Jason responded with a nod.

Piper sighed, "I'm sorry Perce, I was a bit too curious".

Percy waved it off, "You don't need to apologise Pipes, you didn't do anything wrong".

Piper brightened up, "So you'll tell me more about the 'tour' "?

"No".

The other counsellors snickered at the refusal. Piper glared at them, "It not like you guys don't want to know want happened." That had quieted them down.

And so the rest of the meal was eaten in silence, with Percy remaining oblivious to the winks that the others around the table were sending each other.

* * *

Percy was confused, after dinner almost everyone had disappeared. He had seen them huddled together while he was collecting the dishes for washing up duty. Thalia sent him a gleaming look, so he wisely stayed away, he knew what happened last time.

Washing up did give him a lot of time to reflect on the day, and the strange new girls in particular. He liked them, Hestia seemed to be the nicest out of the two. She gave off a warm and compassionate aura, something about it was extremely inviting.

On the other hand Diana was an enigma, though at first she seemed to be a cold-hearted and impassive, there was something about her, he had seen it in her eyes. And as he got to know a bit more about her he discovered that she was actually enjoyable to be with.

He sighed as he dried up the last of the plates, he shouldn't be prying into other people's business.

* * *

He exited the camp kitchen with his hands firmly in his pockets. The nights were quite chilly sometimes, even during the summer. The wind had picked up, it howled and roared. A few metres away from him, the dining pavilion torches flickered.

'_Why do we have torches instead of normal lights again?' _Percy thought. '_Because it makes the camp more authentic,' _He snorted and started to pick up the pace, his arms crossed together; the cabin wasn't that far away.

As he neared the cabin he could see light from behind the curtains, at least the cabins had modern equipment. He climbed up the stairs and pushed open the cabin door. It was eerily silent, no one was there. The beds were unslept, but everyone's stuff was still there.

"Haha. Ok guys, nice prank. You've got me," Percy yelled out. But there was no reply, no sudden explosion of people, no cheers.

He quickly looked around the room and under the beds, there was no-one. Percy was starting to panic, '_Where the fuck is everyone'?_ He ran up the stairs to the girl's part of the cabin, the same result there.

He walked back down the stairs apprehensively; he tried to calm his racing heart with big, quick breaths. '_It's fine, they're probably out somewhere,'_ he reasoned.

But as he reached the bottom of the stairs something caught his eye, the cabin door was slightly ajar. _Strange, I could have sworn I closed it_. He moved closer to the door, but felt his heart skip a beat when a cloth was placed over his eyes.

"Relax, it's me," a voice reached his ears.

"Diana"?

"Yes," she said tiredly. He could feel her warm breath on his neck, and it was making him slightly uncomfortable.

"Whatta you doing"?

"I have to take you somewhere." She started to lead him by his shoulders, down the stairs.

"Why?" They took a sharp left; he had no idea where they were going.

"Because I drew the short end of the stick, that's why," she said sharply. After that, Percy made the choice to remain silent for the remainder of the trip, it seemed like she _really_ didn't want to do this.

They were approaching a building of some sort, Percy started to climb up the stairs, but as he was reaching the fourth step he found his foot hitting air. He stumbled, and was about to fall before he felt a hand on his chest.

"You're an idiot sometimes," Diana said dryly. Her right hand was supporting his chest, while the other was gripping his shoulder tightly.

"I aim to please." Diana pulled him back and steadied him as he found his footing. Percy turned to where he thought Diana was, "Thanks".

"Don't mention it".

And together they climbed to the top of the stairs, Percy letting out a sigh of relief when they reached the top. He felt Diana's hand leave his shoulder and the creaking of a door.

"Come on, we're almost there". And Percy Jackson took his first step into the dark room.

* * *

He blinked heavily when Diana took off his blindfold, his eyes readjusting to the darkness.

He looked to Diana, whose green shirt glowed in the darkness of the room. "Where-" He was interrupted by the flicker of a switch and the massive rush as noise as a crowd appeared out of nowhere.

"SURPRISE." A massive crowd of people jumped up from under the bar counters on the sides of the room. A big banner dropped and unravelled in the air, spelling out the familiar words of 'Happy Birthday- Percy'!

Percy looked at Diana incredulously," Did… did you," he gestured to his surroundings. They were in the Big House, having converted one of its numerous rooms into a part venue.

Diana shook her head, an amused smile was on her lips, "I was only the scapegoat, you should thank that girl there." She pointed straight to the smiling face of Thalia Grace.

"Happy Birthday Aquaman," Thalia approached the pair with a face-splitting grin.

"My birthday was a week ago"!

Thalia rolled her eyes, "That's why it was a surprise, so that you wouldn't be expecting it," she talked as if speaking to a toddler.

"But what about everyone disappearing? The blindfolding"?

"All part of the surprise," she nodded sagely.

"You had me scared to death! I thought everyone had been kidnapped or something!" Though he could only see people over sixteen in the room, but still.

"It's not my fault if you jump to conclusions like that," Thalia smirked, she was clearly enjoying his reaction.

"…I hate you".

"Aww. I luv you too Perce." And with that she spun around and left to enjoy the party, leaving Percy with Diana.

Percy was conflicted; on one hand he was happy and grateful that his friends had gone through so much work to throw him a surprise party. But on the other hand he wanted to throttle them all for scaring him like that.

"You should enjoy your party." He glanced back to Diana, who was standing there with her arms crossed and a half-smile on her lips.

"You don't look like you're enjoying it that much," he grinned.

Diana shrugged, "I don't particularly enjoy parties, that's more of Hestia's thing," she gestured to her sister, was engrossed in conversation with a camper from the Demeter Cabin.

If anything Percy's grin got even bigger, something which annoyed Diana immensely, how can someone be so happy? "I guess that we'll have to change that," he grabbed her wrist and led her into the party.

* * *

For the next few hours Percy introduced Diana to the fantastic world of birthday parties, drinks, games, boys, the whole lot. Except for the boys part, she punched him for trying.

"Oww, why did you have to punch me so hard again?" Percy winced, he had a hand holding his stomach gingerly. _'Man, that girl can punch'. _

"Because you introduced me to a random guy who was hitting on me the whole time," Diana said angrily, she walked over to the drinks counter on the left side of the room and poured herself a glass of punch.

"Look I'm sorry, I had no idea that he was going to do that," he moved up next to her, only to be pushed back by one of her arms.

"Just. Leave me alone Jackson".

Percy blinked, "Wha- I thought we were having fun"!

Diana glared at him but her composure softened ever so slightly, "It was. I just need some time to myself." And with that, she turned and left.

Percy stood there, confused as hell. They were having a pretty good time, what on earth happened? Sure, there was that one guy from the Apollo Cabin, but he honestly didn't know that was going to happen. He winced, at least he got off better than that guy, getting kneed in the balls and threatened with castration was not on his top ten list.

"Hey Perce!" He saw Jason waving him over from the other counter on the other side of the room. He was standing next to a cake, presumably his, he did like Blackforest.

He walked over, "Yeah"?

Jason grinned, "It's time for the cake man," he rubbed his hands together, Jason did have a thing for cake.

"Happy Birthday my boy!" Chiron wheeled over in order to congratulate him.

"Chiron, did you know about this?" Percy waved to the party.

"I might have been given a vague impression of it, but I wasn't one hundred percent certain." However the twinkle in his eyes made Percy think otherwise.

* * *

After the cake and the birthday cheers Chiron kicked everyone out of the Big House, something about how it's quite late and "Young people need their sleep for growth and development", some crap like that.

Diana stood with Hestia outside the Big House, watching people stream out in columns, with Chiron directing at the door.

"Soo, did you enjoy the party~" Hestia asked teasingly.

Diana thought back, perhaps she had been a tad too harsh on Percy, she'll apologise to him later, someday. "It was fine, I did have fun," she admitted.

Hestia looked at her, "Was that because of the party, or because of Percy"?

Diana ignored her question and started to walk back to the Artemis Cabin, with Hestia in town, she did not miss the smile on Diana's face.

* * *

**AN: Hmm, Yeah the party bit was kind of for my enjoyment, I dunno. Probably because it was my birthday today as well ****. **

**So did you guys enjoy this chapter? Did I get Diana and Hestia's characters right? Please review and tell me what you think? Diana seems like a bit** right now, is that right?**

**I did feel bad for Percy, his life has already been mapped out, and we are just looking into the dust of his memories **

**So to conclude, Review! And chuck me some ideas on what you think I should do next.**

**-Inspire Out. **


	5. The Walls We Put On

**AN: Hello! I'm back guys. I'm really sorry about my absence, I had my exams a few weeks ago and after my exams finished I took a break from writing. I learned quite a lot during the break about how I can improve my own writing. I think you can see that this chapter is quite different from the other ones I have written. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and like the new style and direction I'm taking with 'All of Our Stars'. Thanks for all the Support! Weekly Updates will happen on Tuesday's now (Yes I will try).**

**EDIT: Realised I forgot important info about Hestia's age. Fixed now!**

* * *

**Quote of the Day: **Over time, you believe your own lies and fantasies to shield yourself from hurt, when following what is logical would have been the quickest way to healing. It is through your own self-imposed delusions that you lose your perspective. _Shannon L. Alder_

* * *

Unfortunately, Diana avoided him for one whole week after the party. He had felt bad for making her so uncomfortable during the party. And proceeded to apologise to her the following morning. Well . . . he tried to. But when he got to the doors of the Artemis Cabin he was met by the big mama herself, Zoe Nightshade.

_"Hi. I'm looking for Diana. "Zoë had her usual haughty look about her, but he could see something flicker on her face, as if she was feeling sorry for him. _

_She stepped out of the door, the 'whoosh' of the door indicating that it was closed. "Why are you looking for her?" _

_Percy frowned, he was pretty sure that the girls knew about it. But that quickly disappeared as he realised that Zoe preferred to sleep in the Artemis Cabin, being the only counselor that was allowed to stay in their allocated cabin. "She was a bit angry last night and I wanted to apologise"._

_Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Alright. What did you do this time? Diana walked in here in the middle of your party muttering about something." She took a seat on the steps, dealing with Percy and girls was always a pain. _

_Percy was disappointed, that had meant Zoe wasn't at his party. "How come you weren't there? I thought that you were somewhere in the crowd"?_

_Zoe tsked and crossed her arms, "I wasn't told about it by Thalia. None of the girls knew about it. The exception being Hestia and Diana."_

_Percy laughed nervously. Thalia and Zoe didn't get along all that well. It was no surprise that Zoe was a bit put off. _

_"You're ignoring my question. What happened"?_

"_Ahh. Well, I was introducing her to wonderful world of partying, and an unfortunate kid from Apollo tried to hit on her"._

"_I see…" _

_Percy ran a hand through his hair, "So she really didn't like that and ignored me for the rest of the party. . . I'm just here to apologise." _

_"Well I'll be sure to pass along the message." Percy's face flickered to one of confusion, "Diana is in the shower right now." The corners of Zoe's lips twitched upwards, "And I couldn't possibly invite you in here"._

_Percy stood there, a little shocked that Zoe attempted to make a joke. Granted it was shit but the effort alone astounded him. _

_Zoe frowned as Percy kept standing there with his open agape. He was being slow again. "Off you go, go help your own cabin." She waved him off with her hand. _

_And with that, Percy was jolted back to reality. Seeing Zoe's stern look he quickly spun on his heels and left. But not before catching a flicker of the colour auburn through the screen door. _

* * *

Whether Zoe passed the message to Diana he wouldn't really know, he was sure that she wasn't that much of a bitch.

Percy inwardly sighed. There were some other attempts in trying to speak to Diana, but on those occasions she either ignored him or gave some curt reply and walked away. And after every attempt Percy stood there, confused as hell. Diana was the weirdest girl he had ever met.

Hestia on the other hand, Hestia was the only one out of the two that spoke with him. And the more he got to know her, the more he liked about her. She was unconditionally kind and had an amazing outlook on life. Percy smiled, it was refreshing to find someone like that. Someone tha-

"Percy!" He snapped his head up, Nico DiAngelo was crouched down and waving a hand in front of his face. His mop of black hair grew into his brown eyes, and an old aviator jacket covered his skinny frame. He looked Italian, Percy was pretty sure that his mom was Italian, his real mom that is.

"What"?

Nico smirked, "I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes".

"Probably thinking about his _chickas_," Leo gave him a thumbs-up from two beds away. "Getting two girls in two weeks, sisters even!" His face split into a grin.

"I don't think Diana would appreciate you talking about her like that," Frank came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth. He was a stocky Asian guy, the girls were always talking about how soft he was. Percy had to feel sorry for the guy, it must suck for girls to think that he was _completely_ soft, especially in the required departments. "You heard about what she said to that guy from the Apollo cabin".

There was a chuckle from Leo. The whole camp had heard what happened. After the party Diana was nervously labelled as 'The Crazy Castration Girl'. Of course, she didn't know that. Neither did Percy.

That thing about the Apollo guy reminded Percy of something, he turned to Nico. "Have you spoken to Will yet"?

Nico's ears turned red, "N-no. Why would I want to talk to him," he stuttered.

Percy raised an eyebrow. He was as surprised as anyone when Nico told them that he was bisexual. But he managed to put his own feelings aside and now treated Nico as a good friend. "I thought that you guys had a thing?" He made a circle motion with his forefingers.

Nico threw his hands up, "I dunno man. What if I'm wrong and it just turns out he's straight?" He sat down on the bed across Percy's, "It'll just be really awkward for the rest of summer".

"It's going to be more awkward if you don't talk to him about it," Leo pointed out.

There was a comfortable silence in the room as the three guys just grinned at their extremely embarrassed friend.

Percy stood up and stretched, he really should be getting his cabin ready for breakfast. "Hey Frank, are you gonna be much longer"?

"Oh right- just let me finish." A click signalled the bathroom door closing, with the tap being opened not long after.

* * *

A few minutes later Frank emerged from the bathroom with a towel along his neck. "It's all yours man," he gave Percy a clap on the back.

Percy stumbled forward, sometimes Frank didn't understand just how strong he was. Percy first met the guy at Camp Half-Blood a few years ago, he couldn't believe that Frank got assigned to the Ares Cabin. But all that changed during the next martial arts class, getting his ass kicked told him those kids needed the passive. . . aggressiveness that Frank brought to the cabin.

He looked back one last time, "Good luck on your relationship Nico".

Cue indignation, "It's not a relationship"!

Percy laughed quietly and opened the door. And as he closed the bathroom door he was met with his own reflection. There was that look in his eyes again, the one he had been seeing for so much of his life. Blue met blue, but the colours didn't blend together, instead they separated, and one was locked away, never to see the light of day.

* * *

Percy stepped into the shower and let the cold stream of water rush down his face. Water had always helped him think, even when his dad was pushing him to swim ten laps a day as a kid. He felt himself tense as the thought of his dad ran through his mind. It's been years since he last heard from him, those birthday cards and letters were added to the rubbish pile, along with all the other stuff he had kept locked away during that period of his life.

His dad was probably dead, probably died on the streets all alone. Did he feel sorry for his father? Not really.

But as Percy Jackson stood under the trickle of the water, he knew that he was lying. No matter how much he tried to deny it, not matter how much he hated himself. He couldn't delude himself into not caring.

_Percy Jackson was experiencing the wonderful, wonderful agony of being human. _

* * *

He breathed the cool morning air as he stepped out of the cabin, the sun had just started to rise beyond its confines, causing the horizon to become a mixture of orange and white.

The camp was mostly empty, a lot of people were still in their cabins. On the far left side was the Aphrodite Cabin. It looked as if someone had gotten a mountain of flamingos and splashed it all over the cabin walls. An overstatement of the colour pink. The cabin for the models and fashion lovers.

The camp wasn't necessary divided into cabins according to clichés. You can ask to be placed in any cabin, a spin of the roulette. But in Percy's experience, kids tended to act better when placed in a group of like-minded people, there was just less fights, but a whole hellamore egos.

Next to the Aphrodite Cabin was the Ares Cabin, Frank's cabin. It used to be splattered with different colours, before Frank made his cabin repaint the walls. According to him, "The little shites needed to get their asses together and work as a team". And it worked, after days of bickering between the Ares kids, they finally got their asses together and completed the paint job as a team. So now the cabin walls actually had a uniform colour, blood red covered the exterior.

There was the Apollo Cabin, this was the cheery cabin. Covered with lashes of gold and white, it was at times, quite blinding. These kids were the musicians, the artists, the creativeness of Camp Half-Blood.

Right next to that was a lovely mirage of sliver and grey. It was the Artemis Cabin, the only all-female cabin in the camp. This thought made him pause in his walk. There was only certain reasons why a person might apply for the Artemis Cabin. Flashes of auburn flew through his mind.

"Diana…" He shook his head. There was no point in following that train of thought.

But as Percy continued on his walk he did notice some early-birds. Travis and Connor had gotten their cabin up early and were doing some warm-up drills and runs. Those poor kids had too much energy to burn during the day, causing pranks and mischief everywhere in the camp. The twins were the only ones who could keep up with their energy.

Percy had asked them about their secret once. And as Travis pulled him alongside to the stairway of their cabin he said six words that would stay with him forever.

"Burn them out in the morning". . .

Right now they were looking to burn out some of that energy. The Hermes cabin had the most energetic kids he had ever seen, not really athletic, but they had a lot of energy. ADHD being the common factor in a lot of its members.

"Come on Stanley. Push it. Give me one more lap," Travis shouted. He was running behind a boy around nine, with chestnut coloured hair, kind of like walnuts. Poor Stanley looked exhausted, his face was red and his eyes were puffed up as he pushed himself to go further, the scary taskmaster trailing behind him.

Travis saw Percy walking and gave him a wink as he slowed down to a slow jog. "Don't worry P. He'll be fine at lunchtime".

Somehow Percy couldn't bring himself to believe that. And as Travis jogged off into the distance Percy was left wondering about one thing.

If I do this every morning, how long do I think I have before my cabin kills me?

The answer?

Probably about two days max.

* * *

Percy made the journey to the Poseidon cabin, a double storey cabin (all cabins were double storied. One for each of the respective sexes), with a tilted rooftop. Blue and pieces of seashells adored the cabin exterior.

As he opened the reed weaved door his eyes slowly readjusted to the darkness. A stream of early sunlight streamed through the edges of the curtains, the sleeping occupants oblivious to the man approaching the curtains.

With a 'whoosh', the sunlight broke free of its barriers and its light flew everywhere. A few moans and groans signalled the appreciation of the campers.

Percy clapped his hands. "Come on guys. You know the drill, three minutes to wake up before I come down from the girls' side."

The process was repeated for the girls, who made a little less noise, but Percy didn't really think they heard him. He swore those girls could sleep through an earthquake.

As he walked the down the stairs, he was confronted by the sleepy and bleary faces of his charges. He could see one still in their bed, but he'll deal with that in a second.

He surveyed the faces of the kids in front of him, the aquatic loving/junkie boys of Camp Half-Blood.

There was Markus, an eight year old boy with hazel brown eyes and dark brown hair. He enjoyed water polo and reading.

The kid standing next to him was Hank, he was about eleven. He had a mop of sun-kissed hair. Percy thought if Daniel Radcliffe ever got highlights, he would look a lot like Hank. Unlike Harry Potter though, the kid was a natural canoe racer.

The boy standing in the back of the room was called Randell. He had really light blond hair, kind of like butter.

Caleb was next. His short, spiky brown hair that didn't really go with his innocent looking face.

There was Sam as well. He was fifteen and had that kind of emo-punk thing going on. With his long black hair, ripped jackets and metal cuffs he emitted a kind of scary, mysterious vibe.

Percy's gaze turned to the figure that was still in between the sheets. "Jon! It's time to get up."

There was a muffled groan from the figure, "Alright. Just give me a sec".

Moments later a sixteen year old with copper coloured hair jumped down from his bed. The 'thump' from his landing probably woke up the girls upstairs.

"Well first of all, thanks for waking up the girls. It's a pain to do it personally," Percy nodded.

Jon almost gave him the finger.

"Huh. You girls are a lot better than the guys".

One of them, Natalie, narrowed her eyes, "And what is that supposed to mean"?

Percy flinched put his hands up in surrender. An angry Natalie was not good for anyone. "Nothing. I'm just saying that you girls are faster than the guys… Why are you laughing"?

Natalie covered her mouth to stop the giggles from escaping, "You're just so easy to fool. I was only pretending to be mad".

Percy rolled his eyes, of course she would do that. She was studying to be an actor and liked to pull pranks like these all the time.

"So what are we doing today?" Sarah chirped. She, along with her cousin Taylor were diving champions. And Percy can safely say that the two of them diving from that cliff near the beach was in top fifty most amazing things he had ever seen in his life.

Percy smiled, "We've got surfing today. Sam would probably love that." Percy was more of a swimming person, but he was impartial to other water activities. As long as it was in the water.

Sarah clicked her tongue, "I'm still not that good at surfing," she admitted nervously.

Percy gave her a thumbs-up, "You're not bad at surfing. You're quite good".

"Yeah. But I wipeout one in three times".

"So? A lot of people can't even get up on those boards. You're doing a good job," Percy affirmed.  
Sarah tucked a piece of her midnight black hair behind her ears, "Thanks." She sent Percy a grateful smile.

"I'm glad I could help."

Sarah approached Percy, with her arms slightly outstretched. She was going in for a hug.

Percy stiffened as Sarah's arms wrapped around his chest. He was pretty sure this was kind of illegal. Under the current child protection policies he was forced to sign, touching the campers was strictly frowned upon, especially if they were thirteen years old. "Uhh"…

It was a quick hug, lasting no more than a few seconds. Sarah pulled away soon after that, a small smile on her face.

Percy couldn't help but chuckle. It was moments like this where he didn't really care about the rules. If he needed to break the rules to make someone happy, then so be it.

Half an hour later, Percy was in the dining pavilion ."Alright guys. We can sit here".

Sam looked at him strangely, as if accusing him of a terrible idea. That was another one of his abilities, the power to communicate whole sentences with a look. Percy thought it was cool yet seriously creepy at the same time.

Percy responded with his own look, this happened at least once a fortnight. "This is one of the only tables available. Where else do you want us to sit?" And thus began the mental battle between Sam and Percy.

_I don't want to sit here._

_This is a perfectly good empty table._

_There's the Aphrodite girls one table next to us._

_So? You really want to sit over there? The Ares kids are over there._

… _Fine. We'll sit here then._

Jon scowled and looked between the two, they were having the weird mental conversation again. "I don't care, let's just sit down and grab something to eat!" Jon always acted like this in the mornings. He was one of those guys that thought with his stomach instead of his brain.

Sam did that heavy sighing thing and uttered one of those rare sentences, "Yeah. I don't really mind sitting here".

Percy looked around, at the twelve members of his cabin. "You guys good with that"?

There was a chorus of agreement.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Percy managed to catch up to Diana in the afternoon, he had just finished a shower after the surf trip. He found her painting in the Arts and Crafts Hall, using Hestia as her muse.

He slid into the seat across from Diana. "I never knew that you painted".

Diana eyes remained glued to the canvas, "There's a lot of stuff you don't know about me".

"That's because you don't want me to know anything about you".

"And is there anything wrong with that"?

"Is there anything wrong with me trying to get to know you?" God, that sounded so creepy.

Diana couldn't help the chuckle that came out. "That was surprisingly stalkerish of you".

Percy winced and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah. . . Not my best moment".

Diana sighed. "I took art classes during my freshmen year. A few hours each day spent in an old ladies basement taught me that I didn't want to take art as a career".

Percy stretched over the table and took a peek at Diana's painting. "But your painting is quite good. Why did you quit?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't interested in pursuing art for the rest of my life. Nowadays, it's just something I do as a hobby".

An awkward silence ensured, with neither side sure of what to say in that situation.

Percy stared at the ground, if he wanted to apologise, this was the best time to do it. "Look . . . About the party-"

"I know".

Percy looked up, "What"?

Diana gave him a look, "You came to apologise to me a few days ago right? Zoe told me".

"But-wha-. You've been ignoring me for the past week"!

"I haven't been ignoring you. I just don't have anything to say to you," she said matter-of-factly.

"I thought you'd forgiven me!" Why was this girl so damn confusing?

"I have".

"Then . . . Why?" Percy threw his hands up.

Diana sighed and put down her brush. "Look. I don't know who you think you are." She got up abruptly, knocking over some paintbrushes in the process. "But I don't need to explain myself to you." And with that, Diana St Claire walked out of the Arts and Crafts Hall, leaving behind a stunned Percy.

As the whispers started, Percy groaned and hid his face in his hands. He could feel the stares of the other campers boring into the back of his head. The gossip in this camp spread like wildfire.

"Don't worry too much about it. Diana is just like that".

Percy looked up, and saw the smiling face of Hestia beaming down on him. "Am I doing something wrong? She's just so aggressive whenever I try to talk to her." He could feel a headache coming on. The girl was seriously bipolar, one moment she was laughing, the next minute she was screaming at him. "Has Diana always been like that? Anti-social and kind of bipolar." Percy couldn't understand how two sisters could be so different.

Hestia shook her head and took a seat next to Percy. "No, not always. I remember when she was the complete opposite of who she is today." Her eyes adopted a far-away look as the memories came rushing back. "As a child Diana was extremely energetic. She loved animals, loved the outdoors, and loved art. And being the older sister I was, I encouraged her dreams, told her to do whatever she wanted to do." She gave Percy a knowing wink.

"I thought you were younger than her! You said you were a freshmen and Diana was the older sibling." Percy exclaimed.

Hestia laughed. "That was a little prank we pulled on you. We didn't want to give our ages to a complete stranger. Did you really think Diana was older than me?" There was a twinkle in her eyes.

"Well… kind of. Diana is so tall and serious looking, and well your just so-" Percy faltered.

"Relaxed? Social?"

Percy cringed slightly. "Yeah… Is that the wrong thing to say?"

"No. Not at all," Hestia waved it off, "It's not the first time someone thought Diana was older than me. And to be honest it's quite nice to know people think that I'm younger," she gave Percy a grin.

Percy unknowingly found himself absorbing in Hestia's clothes. She was wearing a red sleeveless blouse with dark green jeans. Small polka dots adorned her jeans, it reminded Percy of the dots in Pacman, except black. He had to admit, she did look nice. "So what happened? What happened to Diana to make her like this?"

Hestia stared at the guy, he was really blunt sometimes. "Life happened." She said softly. "Diana is a very closed off person now. She doesn't particularly enjoy parties, or anything social. It takes a lot to get through to her. Especially since…"

"Since what?"

Hestia stared at him for a while, she was surprised this guy was trying so hard to connect to Diana. "Diana … doesn't interact well with males".

"What do you mean?" Percy had one of those nosy-beaks, he couldn't resist information if it was baited right in front of him.

"Well. Diana gets uncomfortable around guys." Hestia stretched out the last word.

Percy's eyes widened, "Oh, OH. That's fine, I'm cool with that." He smiled at Hestia, but he was inwardly cringing. That explained so much of Diana's personality. The attitude, the mood swings, and the application for the Artemis Cabin.

Hestia beamed, "That's great!"

"Not really." Percy muttered, then he froze. Shit! Why on earth did he say that?

Hestia's face turned frosty, "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," he let out a nervous chuckle. "I never judge people based on their sexual orientation. His expression turned serious, "I swear," he put a hand on his heart.

Hestia frowned, "What on earth are you talking about? I never said anything about sexual orientation".

Percy felt like digging a hole and dying inside there, "I thought you said Diana was uncomfortable around males." His voice came out like a squeak.

Hestia nodded, "I did. But I meant that she was _uncomfortable_ around males. Not that she was 'uncomfortable' around males." She put in her hands in front of her face to hide her grin. Percy was the funniest guy she had ever met, it was the way he approached things.

Percy nodded slowly and kept his mouth shut as his brain slowly shut down. He felt so stupid! Why did he have to ask?

Hestia got up from the chair and took a peek at Diana's painting. She felt a smile come to her face, Diana almost finished the painting, guess she'll have to finish the rest. She took a quick glance at Percy as she started to dap her paintbrush, "So why are you asking?"

"Huh?" That question freaked him out. Did she read his mind?

"Why are you so interested in Diana?" she repeated.

Percy felt his brain kick-start into overdrive, how was he going to answer a question that he didn't know himself? "I guess that I . . . I see some of myself when I look at Diana. My old self I mean. The person I used to be," he finished softly. The Percy Jackson that hated himself, who hated the world, the Percy Jackson that he keeps locked away.

Hestia stopped painting mid-stroke and stared at the boy in front of her. "Huh," she muttered. That was quite surprising, perhaps this boy would be good for Diana.

But something else caught Hestia's attention, it was that look in Percy's eyes, a look that moved Hestia's heart like a hammer.

And in those few moments Hestia St Claire saw the truth behind Percy Jackson, behind the cover of jokes and security. But as soon as those moments appeared, as soon as they went away. Percy's face flickered and Hestia once again saw the indomitable mask, the steel gates of lies, and it unnerved her, it sent a chill down her spine.

* * *

**I hope you guys like this new style that I'm taking with the story, did you find it a bit more enjoyable to read? I'm going with a YA vibe here. My Percy is quite different to the other ones I have read. In Pertemis he's near perfect in terms of 'hotness' and personality. I wanted to show that he has some big flaws, like lacking tact and being too blunt at times!**

**Review Please! I really want to know how I'm going right now. Character development, pacing, realism? What do you guys think!**

**Next Update will be 'Reading Twisted Reality'. See you next week (hopefully). **


	6. Masks

**Hello! I want to apologise for my lying, I didn't update on time. I'm really sorry! I know I'm late but school has been dragging me down. (See more on profile). **

**On other news, Chapter 1 has been given a small remake. Go and check it out if you can!**

**I'll really like to thank all the people that reviewed, followed and favourited. I really appreciate the support!**

**Song of the Day: **Flaws- Bastille. **(This will give you a sneak peak of what's going to happen in later chapters :) **

* * *

Percy felt Hestia's gaze on his face as she stopped painting mid-stroke. He felt himself freeze, he was doing it again. Why did he feel like everyone in the room was staring at him? He started to grip the table as the world started to spin.

Hestia looked at him in concern, "Percy, are you okay?"

He rubbed his face as the spinning started to subside, "Yeah I'm fine." Lie.

"Are you sure? Do you want me to get you some water?"

"No, it's just allergies." Stop lying.

Hestia's didn't look convinced, "I can help you Percy. You need to stop lying to me."

He felt himself look at Hestia, blue met brown. "I'm not lying to you." Percy Jackson, the greatest liar in the world.

Hestia looked at him for a few more seconds, her face blank and impassive, he'd never thought she could look like that, so cold and unemotional. "Ok," she sighed. "If you're sure that you're fine."

"You don't need to coddle me Hestia. I can look after myself just fine." Percy said.

Hestia frowned. "I'm not coddling you Percy. I just want to make sure that you're fine."

"And I am fine. I'm so fine that I'm gonna volunteer for dinner tonight." Percy declared.

Hestia glanced out to her right, she hadn't noticed the time passing. The sun was setting, its light slowly igniting the hall in fire. "Are you sure?" Her focus went back to her painting, she wanted to get it finished by tonight. "I don't really see you as the cooking type." She really didn't want to get food poisoning tonight, not when she was almost done with the painting. A few more touches here and there and it would be perfect.

"Well if you're so worried about it then maybe you should come do it with me." Percy said. Typical sexism, women always thinking that men can't cook. But he had to admit, in this situation it was the truth. He was pretty shit at cooking.

"Maybe I should," Hestia mused.

"Great!" Percy spread his hands apart. "I'll meet you in the kitchen at six."

Hestia watched him leave with a wry smile and a building sense of excitement in her stomach. It was just something about Percy that got her excited, it reminded her to back when she a little girl living in Ohio. Her parents' colonial-style house and land meant that days and nights were just lost in the trees, in the stars, in the beauty of the world, all with Diana at her side. They were simpler times, happier times.

"Oh." Percy came rushing back into the hall. "Hestia, I just want to thank you for sticking with me for the past week. I know it's not easy to deal with me . . . At least, that's what other girls say to me." His mind flashed to a certain copper-skinned tyrantness(?).

Hestia smiled at Percy. "You're welcome Percy. That's what friends are for."

"Are we friends now?" Percy grinned.

"I suppose we are Mr. Jackson. Now, I will see you in one hour." That was Hestia's signal to go away, she needed to focus on her painting and she couldn't do it with Percy standing there.

And after that Hestia was left with the peace and quiet of the afternoon. Slowly contemplating her new-found friendship with the sad boy with blue eyes. Percy didn't fool her, Hestia saw through it, she saw through the lies.

* * *

Years later, when that moment was just a flicker of light in someone's mind, Hestia would reflect on what it was about Percy Jackson that got her to blurt that out.

"How did you become friends with dad?" Bianca asked. Aunt Hestia had just gotten out the packet of marshmallows. Those little balls of deliciousness tasted even better roasted.

Hestia thought about it for a while, staring at the grass underneath her feet. "I honestly can't tell you why," she admitted. "Your father was kind, he wanted the best for everyone, even if it meant putting himself second. It was interesting, to see someone that selfless. Perhaps too selfless at times." Hestia looked at Bianca, with wavy black hair and piercing green eyes, it was eerie how much she was of a combination of Percy and Diana.

"So how did he become friends with mom?" Bianca took a bite of the gooey goodness. Her love affair with marshmallows started from a young age, sue her.

Hestia smirked, "How did you think he did it?"

Bianca made a noise. "You!"

Hestia nodded, "Why? Is that too much of a surprise?"

* * *

It was the sound of machine-guns and screams of 'DIE' that drove Percy to rush into the room. But instead of finding blood-splatted walls and bodies littered everywhere he found Piper McLean lying on a bed, doodling on a sketchpad.

She glanced up,"Oh, hey Perce." She smiled, her usually choppy hair was braided, hanging along the sides of her face.

"But-wh. I heard machine guns and shouts?" Percy felt his heart rate start to climb down, he honestly thought someone had cracked.

"That was Jason, he had the volume up too high." Piper frowned slightly. "I couldn't really concentrate on my work." Piper was trying to become a fashion designer, and she constantly drawing up new ideas for dresses, skirts. Whatever it was Percy thought girls wore these days, don't quiz him.

"Volume?" Percy repeated, that explained why he could still hear sounds of guns firing.

"Yeah. This new FPS game Jason bought for his Xbox or something." Piper scrunched up her face and looked at Percy. "Is that right?"

Percy nodded at her, "First Person Shooter."

"He's been trying to convince me to play it, but I honestly have no idea how it works." She looked back, at the far side of the room. "Maybe you'll have more fun with him." Piper tilted her head, as if encouraging Percy to go.

"Yeah. Maybe." He followed the sounds of machine-guns all the way to the common room on the far side of the room.

And as he approached the common room he noticed three things. A plasma TV, an Xbox, and one very excited blond.

"Dude. What's all the excitement for?" Percy looked at the blond on the couch.

The blond turned around, "Percy! Just got the new Halo game. Wanna play?" He held up the second controller next to him.

"Jason. You know I'm shit at these type of games." Percy frowned. "Besides, I thought _Halo_ wouldn't be released for another four months?"

"I got it early. My father and all." Jason said. "You know how he is, giving Thalia and I gifts so he wouldn't have to feel guilty." The corners of Jason's mouth clenched slightly. Percy knew that Jason had father issues, one of the reasons why they had bonded in the beginning.

Percy plopped down onto the couch, 'I'll play a game. As long as it's something that I actually know how to play." He gave Jason an apologetic smile.

Jason sighed and ejected the disc. "Fine, we'll play _FIFA_ then."

As Jason stood up to insert the _FIFA _disc in he noticed something was wrong with his best friend. "Hey what's up Perce? You look pretty glum." Jason handed him a controller.

"There's nothing wrong."

Jason raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Nothing."

"Girl troubles?"

"Yeah." Percy admitted.

Jason laughed, "I know you way too well for you to lie to me Percy." He looked at his best friend. "Diana, huh?"

Percy wanted to kill himself, sometimes he thought what life would be like if he had never met Jason. It sure wouldn't have led to embarrassing questions like these.

He decided to turn the tables. "Let's talk about you first Jason. What's up between you and your dad?"

Jason wasn't that stupid. "Stop changing the subject." He sat back down onto the couch,

"No! What's up with you and your dad?" Percy insisted. He was not going to let Jason win this time.

There was a standoff between the two friends as they just _stared _at each other, with neither side relenting. It was a telepathic tug-of-war, a collision of the mountains of pride. And when there's a collision, there was always a winner and a loser.

And in this case Jason lost. "Fine, I'll tell you about it." Jason relented. He opened his mouth, but then closed it, he stared at his hands, then his mouth moved on its own accord. "My mum's sick, and dad's not letting me see her." He blurted.

Percy blinked as he processed this information, Jason's father was a businessman, a high-ranking executive in some big corporation. Jason's mother was . . . a reforming drug-addict.

It might seem like an impossible combination, a drug addict and a high-ranking corporate dude? But it wasn't always like that, according to Thalia; there was a time when their mother was actually a mother, before the drugs, before the screams and the shouting. Jason was just a toddler when his father took custody of him and his sister, leaving their mother to spend the rest of her days in a rehab centre.

"So I don't know what to do, I want to see her because she's my mother, but at the same time I don't want to face the disappointment. What if she hasn't changed? What if she's still the same?" Jason looked conflicted, he was biting his lip and his eyes were going everywhere.

"And have you told Piper about this?" Percy pointed at the side of the room.

Jason shook his head. "She doesn't need to be burdened with my personal problems." He raised a hand at Percy. "I didn't even want to tell you!"

Percy tried to mull over his answer as they picked their teams, he'll let Jason be the Home team for this game. "Hey Jase . . . Remember the first day we met?"

Jason frowned, "Not perfectly, it was five, six years ago?" Jason felt himself pause as the realisation hit him, has it really been that long?

"You came into camp with Thalia in your dad's Bentley, your chauffeur opening your doors and getting your bags," he said. "You looked like a typical rich kid, with your hair all combed and wearing jeans with that suit." He looked at Jason. "I thought you were the biggest asshole when I first saw you."

Jason had a small laugh, "Yeah . . . Look at me now." He gestured to his blue _Camp Half-Blood_ shirt with khaki shorts. "Quite a change, don't you think?" The pause menu appeared on the TV as he put down his controller.

Percy cracked a smile, "Let me finish the story." He said. "So I didn't talk or see you for the rest of the day. But then, you approached me in the afternoon-"

"You looked like you needed a friend." Jason muttered.

"That's right! That was exactly what you said to me! I was surprised, but I decided to give this rich kid a chance and here we are today," Percy gestured with his hands. He leaned forward, "You see Jason, back then I was a moody kid with hardly any friends. But then you came along." His voice was softer and more comforting. "And from then on I actually had a friend. You approached the kid at the back of the room, even if that kid was the one that no one talked too, you still did it. . . And that's what I think you should do with your mom, give her a chance."

"What about my father?"

Percy frowned, he knew Jason was stressed whenever he switched accents. His father's job meant that they had to move around a lot, and as a result, Jason spent a large part of his childhood in the United Kingdom. "Who cares what your father says!"

"Yeah but-"

"No! You need to realise that your life isn't defined by what your dad thinks of you Jason. You need to have your own goals," he prodded Jason's arm. "Your own dreams."

Jason rubbed his face, "That's what Thalia said to me." His sister was the odd one out, preferring to get the hell away from them as soon as they moved to the United States. Jason loved her, he tried so hard, but sometimes it felt like she was pushing him away.

Percy face's softened. "Thalia does love you Jase. You're her brother! She introduced you to this camp!"

". . . You know, sometimes I think you're too mature for your age," Jason muttered.

Percy shrugged. "Sometimes I think you're too serious for your age." Sure, Jason was a lot better than when Percy first met him all those years ago, but that part of him still remained, that overly strict and uptight Jason.

"When?" Jason protested.

"When I'm kicking your ass in _FIFA." _Percy unpaused the game.

"HEY!"

"And . . . GOOAAALLLL"

"STOP CHEATING!"

"STOP DIVING"

"WHEN?"

"ALL THE TIME."

And a few years on, when the common room was replaced with a hospital bed and the stench of chemicals, and the shadow of death lurking behind every corner. These two friends would try to repeat this, they would do this all over again, they would try to capture those days spent laughing and smiling in the sun. Those days that they would never get back, no matter how many tears and sobs stained those white sheets. It was the faultless and complete truth of reality.

* * *

Diana saw her sister around sunset, bursting into the room with a satisfied smile on her face. Her red shirt was splattered with hints of green, blue and yellow. Something Diana thought would take a long time to wash out. But in her hands she was carrying a canvas, mixed with the same colours splattered on her shirt.

"So what do you think?" Hestia exhibited the painting.

Diana hummed. "It reminds me of an early Lorvean. The minimalist tendencies in the brushstroke communicates an abstract and raw feeling in the audience, signifying our ever-ending journey through the human condition." She finished with a flourish.

Hestia smirked, the two sisters staring at each other before finally bursting into laughter.

"What on earth was that?" Naomi walked in with widened eyes.

More laughter.

Naomi took a better look at the painting. "It's just a portrait of Hestia! What's so special about it?"

"N-no." Diana bit on her hand to stop the giggles. "It's something I learned when I was a freshmen." And so, Diana reiterated the story of how she spent her afternoons. About the croaky old toad that made her analyse paintings like a snob, about the time wasted fetching cordial and sandwiches.

But in the end she had to admit, being an art snob was kinda fun.

"So are you like this with every painting Hestia brings in?" Naomi asked. The three were gathered around the painting, each person sitting on a bed.

"Yeah, basically." Diana said.

Naomi held up a phone. "Can you do a critique on this?"

Diana smirked. "Did you really just do a Google Search?"

Naomi grinned. "Yup!"

Diana was busy checking her emails by the time Hestia got cleaned up and got out of the bathroom. Nothing of mention, just some emails from her preppy friends that she instantly deleted. Just pretentious crap about how they were enjoying their holidays at some resort and asking her how her holidays were. READ_: I don't really care that much about what you are doing, but I need to be a 'good' friend and ask about you._

The other girls were out in the common room playing Pool, currently Jessie was on an unbeaten streak. Diana turned her head as Hestia got out of the bathroom. She was dressed in a faded white shirt, which paired well with maroon-coloured shorts.

Diana raised an eyebrow as Hestia started to dig around her bed for her shoes. "Are you planning to go somewhere?" Outside, the last rays of the sun remained. The sky slowly turning into a murky burgundy. "We've got dinner in two hours."

"I know." Hestia said. She lifted up two pairs of sneakers, "Which one?"

"The blue one." Diana watched as Hestia started to put the shoes on, "But where are you going?"

"I'm helping out with dinner." Hestia's voice was slightly muffled. She stood up and spread her hands out, showing off her clothes. "What do you think?"

Diana hummed and nodded. "It works." The white, maroon and blue really contrasted well with Hestia's brown hair. She tilted her head towards the door, "So are you helping the cooks?"

"Umm…" Hestia glanced down on her shoes. "I'm actually helping Percy." She said softly.

That got Diana's attention, "Jackson?"

"Yeah. Is that ok with you?" Hestia stared at her sister.

Diana bit her lip, why did she have to ask her that? "I guess…"

Hestia sighed. "There've been enough people lying to me today Di."

"You know how I feel about people like him." She couldn't help the coldness creeping into her voice.

"He's a guy Diana." Hestia said gently.

"And you know how I feel about guys!" Diana's scowled.

"He's not that bad!" Hestia's voice now matched Diana's. "Not all guys are the same."

"They are! They're arrogant and selfish and they're going to hurt you in the end!" Diana was standing up now, using her arms to emphasise her point.

Hestia's face softened, "I'm sorry Di. I really am, but you've got to start to let go of your hate and prejudice. Give him a chance."

That comment seemed to affect Diana, "And what if I do? What if he turns out like all the other males on this world?" Her voice was soft, yet cold, a strange combination. _What if I get hurt? _

Hestia bit her lip. "You know I can't answer that."

" …Exactly." Diana was tired of being hurt, it was pain, and even more pain. It was a like a never-ending cycle.

Hestia took a look outside, the sun had already set. She was sure she was late. "Do you remember back to when we were kids and you were learning how to ride a bike?" She looked tired, and who can blame her? She was carrying her sister's pain with her.

Diana eyes were glued at the frame of the cabin door. "I kept on falling down and hurting myself." Her voice was like a whisper, barely audible.

"And do you remember what dad said to you?"

"_It's only through pain that we begin to learn."_ Her dad's voice flashed through her mind. _"I know it hurts Diana, but what will hurt more is if you give up. In the long run giving up is much more painful." _

Once you give up the world starts to be filled with what-ifs; possibilities. It pains me to see all those dreams, all those possibilities; they just float away. The skies are littered with broken dreams and hopes, and along with that; even more pain.

It really pains me to see them.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't cook tonight!" Percy's loud voice echoed through the stainless steel benchtops. The kitchen was really the most sophisticated part of the camp. Filled with sinks, commercial ovens, fridges and stoves. It was all you needed to feed a few hundred kids. Oh, there were hired cooks as well, who could forget them?

One of the cooks, Sharon, crossed her arms. "Young man, do you recall what happened the last time we let you cook?" She waved a spoon at him for emphasise.

Percy chuckled, then stopped when he saw Sharon's narrowing eyes. "That was one time! And I was like … ten back then!"

"No, you were twelve." Sharon said.

"Okay! Fine." Percy put his hands up, damn those cooks and their good memory. "The point is that I am much more mature now and I can handle the responsibility."

"I don't think so." And Sharon went back to her preparations.

"Wh-wha." Percy sighed and put his face in his hands, "What if I- I get someone to help me, someone that can actually cook?"

Sharon turned and raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"I'm not lying Sharon! She'll be here any second." Percy ran a hand through his hair and sat on one of the benchtops.

"Get off it."

So he did.

And sure enough, a few minutes on, there was a knock on the door. "Sorry I'm late, I couldn't find my way to the kitchen." Hestia's said breathlessly, she had to run around all over camp to find the place.

Percy gave Sharon a pointed look, "See. I wasn't lying." She looked back and forth at Percy and Hestia, first Percy, then Hestia.

One of the other cooks, Lauren, spoke up. "Sharon, let the boy cook this time. I think it's time we get some rest as well." She glanced at Hestia, "You dear, can you cook?"

Hestia smiled. "I've been cooking since I was nine, so I'll like to think that I'm quite adept."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Really? Since you were nine?"

She shrugged. "It was just something that I got from my mother. She really enjoyed cooking."

Lauren laughed and put her hands by her sides. "If that's the case… Then maybe we should get going." She gave a Sharon a look.

One of the younger cooks spoke up. "What! How come we don't get to have a break?"

Lauren snapped onto the cook immediately. "Cause we're in charge Jordan, get back to work."

And like a whip the young boy went back to his chopping board. "Yes mam."

Sharon turned to Percy with a critical eye. "So can I trust you two to feed the campers?"

Percy responded with a grin. "Of course." Hestia nodded in agreement.

She stood there in thought for a second. "Ok. Just don't cause any explosions this time." And with that cherry thought the two cooks left.

Hestia looked at Percy incredulously. "An explosion?"

Percy lifted up a finger. "I like to think of it as not an explosion, but more of a small fire."

"Huh." Hestia said.

"I was twelve." Percy said quietly. "And I didn't mix well with oil."

Hestia fake gaped "I- I did not know that Percy." He gave her a small smile, _just play along. _

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me." Percy adopted a deeper and huskier voice.

". . . Is there anything wrong with me trying to know you?" Hestia said, she was trying and failing to contain her laughter.

Percy suddenly jerked back and frowned. "Who on earth do you think you are? I am now going to storm out and leave you here." He started to leave before Hestia tugged on his blue _Camp Half Blood_ shirt.

The two friends stared at each other before Percy's face twitched and they both broke into laughter.

"….Okay." Hestia gasped in between laughter. "I think we should stop. It's not nice to be so mean to Diana."

Percy put up a hand as the chuckles started to die. "Yeah, I'm really sorry."

Hestia raised her eyebrows, "Oh you're really sorry?"

"Okay maybe I'm just a little bit sorry."

"So how much milk do I put in?" Percy's face was caked with flour as he glanced at the recipe

"I think its one cup." Hestia leaned over to the recipe. "Yeah, it's one cup." Her fight against flour wasn't going so well either.

The two were assigned with dessert duty, so if they screwed it up at least the kids would have been fed. Percy was a put off at first, but he quickly resigned himself to the fact that he would never be allowed to cook actual food.

Hestia was the polar opposite, she loved to cook desserts. She loved to cook almost everything, and cooking with someone made it so much more fun. . . Except when someone didn't follow the instructions. "What are you doing Percy? You're supposed to use a wooden spoon, not a beater." Percy froze and turned off the beater. "I'll do it."

Percy took a step back as Hestia took the bowl. "Someone's really touchy about their food." He muttered.

She gave him a small glare. "I'm not touchy, you're just not doing it right Percy." Her voice was soft yet snappy.

"The recipe said mix the mixture together! I didn't really think using a 'beater' was going to make that much of a difference." Percy rubbed the back of his hair.

Hestia stopped mixing and took a breath. "I'm sorry Percy. I forgot that you're new to cooking. But next time you know." She gave him a smile.

"Okay. Next time I know." He clapped his hands together.

"Uh. Time to wash those." She gestured to his hands.

Percy frowned. "Why?"

"Because you touched your hair with those hands. And that's really unhygienic." Hestia said.

* * *

The whole kitchen was on overdrive, everyone was rushing to get the desserts out to the campers.

A dark skinned man was walking around the room, prompting everyone to go faster. "Percy! Hestia! How are we going with those Mille-feuille?"

Hestia was working frantically, while Percy wasn't far off behind. "Five minutes Mac! We're plating up now." Percy yelled. He glanced over to Hestia. "Okay, what do you want me to do?"

"Yes, umm… I need you to get the pastry and chocolate out of the fridge and just start piling them on." Hestia looked a bit red and flustered.

"So chocolate on glazed pastry and crème patisserie on the unglazed right?" Percy said quickly.

Hestia nodded. "Yes." And Percy rushed off.

* * *

And twenty minutes later it was all finished, the hustle and bustle of the kitchen slowly receded back into calmness. Percy and Hestia were currently doing the dishes, with Hestia cleaning and Percy doing the drying.

"So what did you think of cooking?" Percy asked with a lopsided grin.

"Tiring. I've never done it on such a large scale so it's kind of stressful." Hestia laughed and stared back into the soapy water. She would always help her mother cook whenever the family got together, which was only for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was one of the only times where she thought that the family actually glued together, when they were actually … happy together.

Percy grimaced. "I must have been terrible right?"

Hestia shook her head. "No. You just haven't had a lot of experience cooking, that's all."

"And would you be willing to teach me?" Percy asked sheepishly.

Hestia hummed. "Sure."

"Really?"

"Yes, but on one condition."

"Sure, what is it?"

"You have to teach Diana how to swim." Hestia said.

Percy smiled. "Sure! When do you want me to start?"

Hestia raised an eyebrow. "It's that easy eh?"

"Ok, I'm lying. But I really want to learn how to cook." Percy admitted.

Hestia hid a grin. "We'll start tomorrow." She proceeded to walk out of the room.

Percy called out after her. "What about Diana and her lessons?"

Hestia's voice echoed back. "I'll talk to her."

Percy Jackson hung around in the fluorescent lit room for a while longer, he walked to the back, to the man scrubbing pans in the soapy water. "Hey Mac. I need you to do something for me."

* * *

. . . You know, it's kind of funny. The ways humanity respond, the masks we put on.

* * *

**And we're finished with Chapter 6. Hooyrah! Hestia and Percy finally reached the Friendzone, how will their relationship progress? **

**Diana's true views on men have been revealed. But what made her this way? And how will she end up with Percy? **

**And Percy. You're a lying lying di**. He is the greatest liar in the world… What do you think I mean by that? **

**This story is as much a journey for the readers and writer as it is for the characters. What have we discovered along the way? How does this story resonate to you? (At least I hope so). **

**I hope you guys respond to my questions through some reviews! That would be really appreciated. **

**-Next update will definitely be Reading TR. I've missed that. **

**PS: Replies will be made through PM's. **


	7. Oh Captain My Captain

**Hey guys. It's been a long time :) What can I say about my lateness? I can say a lot of things, but it won't really be enough. If you're reading this then I really hope for supporting me through your reviews, favourites and follows. It really means a lot to me to keep being supported. Especially to Rexblaze01 and Daughterofeos11, you guys are the best supporters of this story. But I really put my heart and soul into every chapter, really. And I hope you guys can appreciate that.**

**Quote of the Day:** "We accept the love we think we deserve."

**Question of the Day:** "What then, do we say of those undeserving?"

* * *

"You what?" Travis's voice echoed through the dining pavilion.

"I'm teaching Diana how to swim." Percy repeated, his voice muddled by the pancakes in his mouth, "in return, I'm learning how to cook from Hestia." He looked around at the gaping faces sitting around the table, Jason's spoon had stopped at that mid-way point between the bowl and his mouth. "Why are you guys being so weird about this?"

Leo pinched Jason, causing him to jolt forward and spill his cereal all over his shirt. "DUDE! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Jason rushed up, attempting to wipe the cereal off his clothes. The stain was slowly spreading past the hems of his shirt, making a blemish on his shorts.

"Sorry. Had to test if I was dreaming or not."

"THEN WHY WOULD YOU PINCH ME?" Jason was patting his pockets, in search of a tissue, and when that proved futile he threw his hands up and gestured to his shorts. "It looks like I've wet myself!" There were some snickers from the guys around him, prompting Jason to glare at them.

Leo shrugged. "I dunno. I figured it'll hurt me less if I pinched you. I guess it worked." But his grin dropped when he saw how Jason's visage was promising pain, he dug his pockets for a tissue. "Here." Jason glared at Leo but swiped the tissue away, trying to get rid of that medium-sized stain on his pants.

"Just hold on a moment please." Piper was staring at Jason's soaked torso quite disgracefully. Her breakfast of yoghurt, muesli and grapes wasn't really helping her case.

Hazel frowned and nudged her friend, who was busy eating grapes and enjoying the show. "Piper! Stop it!" She swatted Piper's arm, who shooed her off with her free arm.

"What? I'm not doing anything wrong." She popped another grape into her mouth.

"It's indecent!"

Piper tore her gaze off Jason. "But I'm not hurting anybody." She pleaded to her friend. "Look-Woah." Jason's shirt was half-off, exposing his bare torso to the entire camp.

"No, Jason—what are you doing?" Hazel's voice was authoritative, though her cheeks had a pink tint and her eyes were glued to the ground, trying to not look at Jason's stomach.

"I need a new shirt." He said as if it was the most obvious thing the in world, it kind of was really, "The tissue—" he glared at Leo, who grinned innocently "didn't work."

She moved to Jason's side and grabbed his arms, her eyes still avoiding his body. "I think it'll be better if you got changed in your cabin Jason." She led him out of the dining pavilion, "Or just somewhere private," she muttered.

Frank got up and moved to Hazel's side, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "I've got it," he whispered.

Hazel smiled and watched her boyfriend sling an arm around Jason, before moving back to the breakfast table, looking at all the amused faces at the table, save for Piper, who was looking disappointed. "What? I'm a nice Christian girl from New Orleans." She sat back down. "I'm very traditional," she said with a huff, causing a few amused looks from the others.

Piper blinked, finally realising that Jason was gone, her eyes moved to the Latino boy in front of her. "Leo. . . where on earth did you get that shirt from?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "From my pockets Beauty Queen, where else? Sheesh."

Piper frowned. "Why do you have a spare shirt in your pocket."

"I would like to know that as well." Hazel's said pointedly.

Leo grinned in response, "I have everything in my pockets, let's see . . ." He then proceeded to dig out a various number of items: some tissues, shorts, another shirt, breath mints, earphones, a swiss-army knife, his glasses, batteries, straws, folded pieces of paper, some miniature books—just in case he got bored, a spatula—

That's when Piper had enough, "Where the hell do you keep these things?"

"Piper! Language," Hazel chided, yes she was one of those people.

Leo looked at them strangely, "I keep everything in my pockets, it's the magical world of my pockets, pocket world, _bolsillo mundial_," he pointed at Piper. "You should know Beauty Queen."

"Oh."

Piper's mind flashed back to those days with Leo and Jason in school, how Leo always seemed to have something up his sleeve (now she knew it was quite literal). She remembered the time when the school bus broke down on the way to a field trip to New Jersey. The teacher was trying to get everyone to calm down, but when a bus full of spoiled brats brakes down, they're all going to be screaming the same thing. 'Where the fuck is our limo?'

But Leo, he just got up from their seat at the back of the bus and walked down the aisle with a huge grin, his hands in his pockets. _'It'll only take a second guys'. _

She remembered the jeers and the laughs, she remembered Jason's loud voice telling them to shut up the hell up.

She also remembered the cheers as Leo walked off the bus, that strange look flashing across Leo's face as he glanced back, walking to the front of the bus. She then remembered how moments later, the engine roared back to life. And Leo walked back on the bus with his hands still in his pockets, the atmosphere deathly silent. She remembered her smile when she saw Leo flirting with Charlotte and Kelsey at the front, but also her frown as Leo laughed to something they said. They certainly didn't tell him a joke.

He walked back to them, luckily they had the whole back row to themselves. "Oh man, did you hear what those two said to me? They obviously want a piece of _the Leo_!"

She shared a look with Jason, whatever they said, it obviously wasn't that, so why did Leo say that? "How did you do it?" Her voice was quieter than usual.

"How do you think I did it?" He jumped back onto the cushioned seats, his hands wiggled in his pockets for some rubber bands and a straw. His head moved to his pockets numerous times, like he was trying to play 'murder wink' on drugs.

She didn't get it, his pockets? What, did he pull an entire engine out of it?

He sighed at her, muttering something in Spanish. Now she knew he was really pissed off. She felt Jason's gaze on the back of her head, he was worried about Leo as well.

Leo stopped tinkering when he saw that his friends when looking at him like he was about to die, "I don't fit in here." There, he said it, happy now?

Jason tried to be the ever nice friend. "Leo, that's not true."

"Yeah and I'm the fucking lost prince of Mexico," Leo snorted. "The truth is, my dad isn't famous like Piper's dad. And yes, I know how much shit she gets for being the child of a famous actor. But I also know that they also don't give a shit about me cuz my dad doesn't own Grace Enterprises. He's none of those things!" He went back to his make-shift straw helicopter, an incoming delivery to Charlotte and Kelsey, curtesy of Prince bloody-Leo. "The truth is that I'm just random kid they picked off the street. They don't want me here."

Piper frowned. "We want you here."

Leo looked at her exasperatedly. "I'm a nobody Piper. We know it, they know it. It's just—"

"—That's ok." Jason said, causing Piper to give him a puzzled look, but his nod reassured her. "We don't think you're a nobody."

"—Jason. You don't need to treat me like a freaken doll."

Jason sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Leo, just shut the hell up and listen to me."

It was the accent that got his attention.

"Leo, I don't think you're a nobody. I think you're the biggest badass I've ever met. I don't give a shit what other people think of you. You're our friend, and the three of us got to stick together." Jason glanced over to Piper.

She scooted over and put an arm around Leo. The whispers had probably already started.

_Eww, you see McLean with that street kid?_

_I thought she was with Grace!?_

_Apparently not. _

_What a slut._

But she blocked them out, she had years of practice doing so. "You know what Leo? I think you're the biggest fucking badass in the whole freaking world."

Leo laughed. "Thanks Piper." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Because for all their 'fame' or 'money', none of them really fitted in.

Not really.

And that was okay.

* * *

Thalia strode over to their humble little table. "Have you guys seen Jason?"

"No. Why?" Percy was taking the last few sips of his orange juice. Hazel and Katie had left the table a few minutes earlier. He turned and scowled when he saw Thalia's shirt. "Thals, just take the shirt off."

Thalia leaned back in mock-shock. "You want me to take off my shirt Percy?" She smirked, "Well you should know that I'm not doing it for free."

He turned red as the others laughed. "No –just, take the 'Green Day' shirt off." Fuck, why did he say that? Stupid brain, never worked in embarrassing situations.

Thalia's smirk had gotten even wider. "In case you hadn't noticed Seaweed Brain, I've only got one shirt on me."

"You know what I mean! Just . . . what are you doing here?" Percy raised a hand at her, forcing himself to not look at Thalia, partly due to embarrassment, the other being the fact that Green Day were a terrible band.

Thalia twirled a piece of her dark hair, "I heard that Jason had managed to spill cereal all over himself."

"Curtesy of moi." Leo leaned a bit too forward. "Has anyone ever told you that you are really, really hot?"

"Yes Leo." Thalia looked at him as if he was a retard. "A million times."

Leo just grinned. "Great. Just so you know."

Percy lowered his hands and ignored the fight that had commenced. "So did you just come here to laugh at Jason?"

Thalia looked to Travis to move over, which he quickly obliged. "If you put it like that it makes me sound like a bad sibling," she looked at Percy. "I prefer 'motivational encouragement'. So that he won't do it again."

Percy frowned, "Isn't that kind of contradictory?"

Thalia raised a hand, "Hush Percy, thou shalt not speak of things thee does not know." She was doing a wonderful impersonation of Camp Half-Blood's resident pro-feminine counsellor.

"You know that she doesn't really talk like that." Percy took another bite of his pancakes, they were slightly cold now. "Why do you hate Zoe so much," he said, "What did she do that was so bad?"

Thalia made a face, "What's to tell you? She's stuck-up, pompous, up herself, self-righteous. And then she has the nerve to spread her feminist propaganda around to her cabin."

"You know, it's not healthy to hold grudges." Percy pointed out. "And I don't think the Artemis Cabin is bad, they're actually quite nice when you get to know them. And that's the same with Zoe, she's actually quite nice." Though she would deny it: At the end of their archery lessons, Zoe actually smiled at him; that was admittedly one of the biggest achievements of his life.

Yeah, that was how rare it was.

Thalia looked unimpressed, she leaned forward, Travis giving her a wide booth. "Is this you talking or your hormones? Because I don't ever recall you ever talking to them enough to get to know them. Kind of like Travis and Connor over here," Thalia pointed to the pair with her thumb.

The two spoke in unison. "That's because you nicked all our clothes and replaced them with shirts from super-old bands we've never heard of. Not to mention the jeans were way too tight!"

Thalia frowned, "I'm only a few years older than you guys, and those bands were pop icons."

"Yeah, like in the 70s," the two muttered under their breath.

Unfortunately Thalia had sharp ears. "Ok, I'm gonna give you five seconds to apologise for that one." She said. "Five, four, three—"

The twins immediately folded and were apologising like their life depended on it—it really could've, considering what Thalia does to people she _really_ hates.

Thalia turned back to Percy. "Well?"

Percy shook his head. "It's not some hormone bullshit Thals. Zo—the Artemis Cabin aren't that bad." He exhaled quietly as Thalia narrowed her eyes, he could see the thoughts racing through her head, like little beams of light.

"You were about to say Zoe weren't you?"

Percy sighed. "Maybe I was," he said, "I don't know how to convince you that she's actually a nice person."

Thalia snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it."

* * *

Diana was annoyed. On a scale of one to 'annoyed', she was probably on an eleven. Tired was probably up there as well, judging from the stinging sensations she's been feeling on her arms.

"No."

"Diana. Please!"

"I've already told you no. What do you want from me?!"

They were currently doing a 'short' jog around the camp—prompting the thought that Zoe should take a good, long look at a dictionary. Because the last time she checked, a 'short' jog doesn't mean three bloody laps around the biggest camp she'd ever seen. All it was doing was making her realise just how unfit she was!

Zoe's voice echoed from the front. "Come on girls! Move it! We're on the last five hundred metres."

She heard a loud exhale next to her, followed by Hestia accelerating, now jogging a few metres ahead of her. She started to focus her attention on the ground, forcing her arms to move just a little bit faster.

"Remind me to apologise to Coach Pearson when we get back to school."

Hestia laughed, Diana was sure that was painful. "I can remind you to do it yourself."

Their voices came in short, tired puffs. It sounded kind of sketchy, like they had asthma.

Diana felt a slow, hollowing feeling in her chest, she completely forgot, that was new. Hestia took a look at her.

"You forgot didn't you?"

She felt herself laugh a bit, it came out more like a painful wheeze. "Yeah I did." She could see some of girls standing in the distance, their faces red and painful. "It's going to be a change. Not having you there with me."

"Are you scared of change?" They had slowed down just a bit, more so Hestia had to slow down – to keep pace with Diana.

Diana rolled her eyes, Hestia wasn't exactly trying to hide it. "Do you really care about it that much? For me to learn how to swim?"

There was a sarcastically remark in return. "They don't call it a 'life skill' for nothing."

As they approached the finish line, the two started to slow down to a slow jog, then to a walk. Diana could see some of the others sitting on the grass, with Zoe passing around water bottles. Unlike the others, Zoe looked relatively unscathed. She looked calm, relaxed, not at all like a person who just ran four kilometres.

The two stopped at the finish line, next to a girl who was slowly sipping her bottle of water. The near criminality of their heavy use of water bottles made Diana really wish that the camp recycled.

But that was outweighed by the fact that her body was craving for the chemically enhanced fluids of bottled water.

And as she guiltily drank the masses of artificial minerals and vitamins, her sister couldn't help but raise the question again, "So what do you think?"

She lowered her bottle and sighed, "I'll do it. . .But I'm only doing this for you."

Hestia smiled, "I'm really glad Di."

It was strange; she was doing this for her too.

* * *

It was around 9am when Percy finally got to the arena (there were a few shaky nerves at the mention of fighting against the Artemis Cabin) he'd noticed that the huntresses were already there, all padded up and ready to go.

"You're late." Zoe said from the middle of the arena, she was dragging her sword along the ground, making a variety of chaotic circles and swirls in the circular arena.

"And you're early." Percy dropped the plastic crate he had been carrying – the camp had a type of protective jacket for sword-fighting— it was heavily padded and made swinging a sword a lot harder.

That was why he never bothered with it—most of the time.

"So what do you think? A demonstration first?" Percy said, pointing at the state of Zoe's attire. He started to suit up, slinging his arms through the sleeves of the pale coloured jackets.

Zoe shrugged, "I don't know, do you want to have your ass kicked?" Her lips curved up into a smirk, it was a silent challenge, to see just how far they had come.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck, he really wanted to see how far he'd come since the last time they've fought each other, but on the other hand . . . he didn't want to make this class about just them.

But a chorus of shouts and claps had erupted behind him, "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" It moved like a wildfire, soon the girls behind Zoe were joining in, looking eager to see Jackson get his ass handed to him.

Percy sighed, really? He was pretty goddamn sure that he'd taught these kids everything they needed to know about peer pressure.

That it freaken works almost all the time.

"So are you going to do it?!" Zoe's voice echoed above the cheers and screams of their audience. A few other campers had streamed in, word had gotten out about their 'demonstration'.

"I can't really say no now! We've got a crowd!" Percy jogged to the edge of the arena, where Zoe had conveniently laid out a choice of weapons. Knives, short swords, long swords, double-edged swords.

"So what are you going to pick?"

Percy turned, Hestia was leaning over the assortment tentatively, like she was wary of being cut. "Umm . . . I'm probably going to pick the double-edged sword."

"Which one's that?" Her eyes scanned over the weapons.

"This one," Percy picked up his choice, its proximity making Hestia jump back. He looked at her, "Are you scared of weapons?"

"A little bit," she admitted. "It's nothing!" She reassured him when she saw his face. "Weapons just make me a little . . . edgy."

"You don't want me to fight?" Percy started to lower his sword. "I can skip to the exercises if you're uncomfortable."

"No! Do whatever you want to do, don't let me stop you!" Hestia shook her head. When he didn't move she gave him a light kick on the shins. "Go!" She glared at him.

Percy approached Zoe slowly, twirling the sword in his hand in a whirlwind motion.

Yeah, he's a badass.

"You should be careful that you don't chop off your fingers." Zoe said, mirroring his movement—but faster.

". . .That's such a dick move," Percy muttered under his breath. He stopped twirling as he came level with his opponent. "Rules?"

"First to yield." Zoe said, then paused for a moment, her ash-coloured hair falling past her shoulder. "Or be disarmed."

Percy nodded and readied his stance, he raised his sword and took a deep breath. "Ready."

Then the fight started.

Several thoughts ran through his mind as their swords clashed together, the impact sending tingles down his arms.

He was rusty, too rusty.

_CLAG! _His timing was completely off. _CLUNG! _He could've moved faster there

Thankfully his situation wasn't exclusive, otherwise Zoe would've knocked him onto the ground by now.

But Zoe being Zoe just had to point it out. "You're being a bit sloppy today."

Percy laughed, feeling the stares of a whole crowd behind him, he was sure some of them were betting on the result. "I don't want to show off all my moves at the start."

"Well you better start now." Zoe said, her eyes shifted, her movements sped up, and suddenly Percy was forced on the defensive.

Percy grimaced as Zoe landed a hit on his arm, even with a protective suit it still hurt, kind of like running at a street pole side-on. One look at Zoe told him she was playing serious, it was time to stop screwing around.

Zoe inwardly smiled as Percy started to push forward, the force and speed of his strikes beginning to match hers. She winced as she got fooled by one of his feints, his strikes started to test her reactions, forcing her to duck and jump.

Percy was panting and sweating as he pressed harder, the jacket making him feel like he was in a furnace. Of course, in his determination to hit harder and faster, he sacrificed his concentration and footwork.

Then Zoe struck.

She dropped low and made a sweeping kick at Percy's feet, it was quite unorthodox really — something that would've been quite out of character.

And that's why Percy dropped to the ground, a foot was then firmly planted on the wrist where his sword was in. One look at Zoe told him all he needed to know.

"You lose."

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the air coming back to his lungs. "I can't believe you used that move."

Zoe smirked as she lifted off her foot. "I still won."

"Yeah, with a move I used to beat you last time," Percy groaned and covered his face. "You ripped it off me."

Zoe rolled her eyes, "Oh, don't be so worked up about it." She kicked the soles of his shoes. "You haven't been practicing anyway," she then offered a hand up.

Percy blinked, a bit unsure of what to do in his current situation.

"Hurry up, I'm going to change my mind." Zoe said, opting to focus her eyes on the dissipating crowd around her. From some of faces, it seemed like a lot had bet on Percy winning – serves them right.

Percy got up and stretched, he really needed to get out of the jacket. He rubbed the side of his arm. "Ugh. This is what happens when you start trading sword fighting for an 'A' for Maths."

Zoe looked at him. "And did you get it?"

Percy cracked a grin, "Hell no."

* * *

"You managed to find this place." Percy said, and set down the book he was reading.

Hestia replied with a smile and looked around the communal kitchen, compared to the camp kitchen it was quite small, basic. The walls were covered with a buttery shade of yellow, and there was only the essential equipment. A fridge, benches, a stove (electrical instead of gas), oven, and a sink.

She smiled and set down her bag on a chair, it was homely and rustic, she liked kitchens like that.

Percy studied the caption on the bag. "_My other bags are Prada_?" He looked at her, "I never took you as a Prada person."

Hestia smiled, "I'm not a Prada person." She took out a piece of paper from the aforementioned bag. "It was just something that my friends brought. A little inside joke, because I … make … bags for a hobby." The words came out slowly, as if she was scared of letting them out. "People like to joke about how good it is."

"Maybe I can see it sometime," Percy had a small smile.

Hestia shook her head. "Definitely not. . . Maybe."

* * *

"You look pretty comfortable with that knife." Percy observed.

They were in the middle of making a steak salad. Hestia was handling the cutting of the vegetables while Percy was in charge of the dressing. Percy had the knife at first, but Hestia stepped in after a while, saying that he should just stand back and watch for the first lesson.

Percy had sighed, he knew what she saying to him. He had brutally mutilated that poor tomato.

"Hmm?" Hestia's focus was on the vegetables, her eyes glued to the green chopping board. Those peppers were being chopped at an alarming rate.

"The knife," Percy said. "You were a bit shaky at the arena … earlier."

Hestia's chopping speed slowed. "It was nothing, I just have this stupid thing against weapons and blood." She looked up, prompting Percy to worry about the health of her hands. "I probably would have been a vegetarian," she admitted, "but…"

"You enjoy cooking way too much." Percy finished for her.

Hestia took in a breath as she stopped chopping. "Um — can you get started on the blue cheese dressing?" She asked. "It's on the recipe sheet."

Percy was spurred into action. "—Right . . . The blue cheese, olive oil, and Worcestershire sauce…" he noticed a small pack of cheese lying on the bench. Hestia had gotten everything out at the start of the 'lesson'. He teared off the packaging, oblivious to the fact that Hestia was watching him carefully.

As he tore off the packaging, the first thing that hit him was the blue. The cheese literally had little blue veins running through it!

The second thing that hit him was the smell. It wasn't a slow, gentle smell like most other cheese Percy knew.

No. This, this was a full-frontal wave, a gushing torrent of "OMYGOD WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!"

Hestia watched with an amused eye as Percy leapt back from the cheese, almost as if it was a dead frog in biology. "That's exactly how I reacted when I first saw it."

Percy looked at her, horrified. "And you thought it would be funny to try it on me!?" His face was pale, his eyes wide. It was almost an overreaction.

At least she had the curtesy to smile and shrug. "You did say you liked blue foods."

* * *

Percy loved swimming, it was a part of him, something that had taken root after years of nurturing. Swimming and water was literally engraved into his DNA, the sea had been a large part of his family's life.

He also enjoyed teaching, there was this joy he got from teaching, from seeing someone's face light up with joy, to really help someone.

But he had never really taught someone how to swim. Sure, he'd taught people canoeing, surfing, body surfing, water polo, snorkelling and sorts of water activities.

But he'd never really taught anyone how to _swim_. Swimming was just something he'd learned as a toddler, he just … did it.

So when he got to the lake in the afternoon, he knew that he was in for a long, long three hours.

He put up a hand "Hey."

Diana was sitting on a log, already changed and ready to go. "Hey."

Then there was this silence between them, both unsure of how to approach.

"Uhh." Percy scratched the back of his head, the last time they had spoken, it had ended up with Diana storming out of the hall. "Should we get started?" He needed to approach this carefully, he didn't want another storm-out on his hands.

Diana shrugged. "I don't know, it's up to you."

"Oh captain, my captain." Percy grinned and gave Diana a half-salute.

Diana smiled as she got up. _"Dead Poets Society_?" Her tone was more amused then exasperated— which was good news for Percy.

"Oh, it's a requirement for all English teachers with aspirations of getting at least one-tenth of the respect Robin Williams did." Percy said.

Diana asked a question as they started to walk down to the water. "But do you know where that line came from?"

Percy nodded. "It was a poem by Walt Whitman, about the death of Lincoln… What? You don't have to look so surprised! I researched it for homework."

* * *

Diana knew that Percy was trying to impress her. It showed in almost everything he did, the way he studied her reactions every time he said something, how he was trying too hard to make her smile. But what really gave it away was his eyes, it was that slight crease that came every time he looked at her.

When did she become such an expert on Percy Jackson?

Speaking of the devil. "— so what do you know about swimming."

"Nothing." The water wasn't too bad, waist level, the afternoon sun kept it warm. "So if I start drowning I expect you to sacrifice yourself." There, he was smiling now, maybe the rest of the lesson wouldn't be so … weird.

"Ay Captain. But hopefully we won't be coming to that." His pirate imitation was quite on point.

She felt herself laugh. "Why are you doing that?"

"To make you laugh." he said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You look like you haven't laughed in a while."

She couldn't help the smile as she looked down onto her reflection, a building sense of guilt in her chest. If she wanted to do it, now was the time. "Look. It was my fault to ignore you, and I don't think you deserve that… So I'm sorry." She looked up,"…Do you think we can start over?"

Percy smiled. "Of course captain… But why the sudden change?"

She punched him lightly. "Stop grinning! This doesn't mean we're friends or anything … just turning over a new page."

"Turning over a new page." Percy muttered. He liked that — the chance to start again. He held out a hand, "My name's Percy Jackson."

She took his hand. "My name's Diana St Claire, I'll appreciate not being called captain."

"Okay." Percy said. "What about… Arty?"

She felt herself freeze. "Why Arty?" There — there was something about that name, almost as if…

"—I dunno, I figured since you liked Art." Percy shrugged. "And 'Di' sounds so cliché," he looked at her.

"I'll much rather you call me Di then Arty." Diana muttered. "Arty just sounds weird."

Percy bit the inside of his cheek. "If you want you can call me by my real name . . . But then I get to call you Arty."

Diana frowned. "What's your real name?"

"My real name… The name on my birth certificate is… Perseus," he said it as if he was stretching each syllable out. "My dad was half-Greek, and he really wanted a Greek name—"

"— Perseus…" Diana repeated. "That's actually a pretty cool name." There it was again, that feeling – that thud in the back of her mind. She had heard those names before, Arty and Perseus, Perseus and Arty.

"Arty!" She blinked, Percy was waving a hand in front of her eyes, "Are you ok? You zoned out for a bit."

"I'm fine... it's just pretty hot." She said. "I think I need to go for an _actual_ swim."

"Well Captain, you've got to learn how to not _drown _first." Percy said.

She narrowed her eyes, "Well _Perseus Jackson_, lead the way."

"You said you thought Perseus was a good name," Percy protested.

"I've changed my mind haven't I?" Diana said sarcastically.

"Wow, I didn't know you had sarcasm in you." Percy grinned.

He was pissing her off, so she splashed some water at him.

"Okay, okay. I'll do it. Just, stop splashing." Percy struggled to get his voice past the torrent of water. . . "Thank you. We need to work on teaching you how to not drown first." He started to move into deeper waters, before looking back at Diana. "Come on, you won't get anywhere if you play safe."

She moved forward, hesitantly at first, but she eventually took hold of Percy's outstretched hand. "You better not let me drown!"

Percy rolled his eyes, "How about this." He put a hand on his chest. "I PROMISE THAT DIANA ST' CLAIRE WILL NOT DROWN WHILE I'M TEACHING HER HOW TO SWIM."

Diana winced at the volume of Percy's declaration. "Dramatic much," she said. "I think people in the amphitheater could've heard that."

"Someone wise once told me: Don't keep calm, be dramatic."

Diana couldn't help but laugh and shake her head.

If this was what these lessons were going to be like, then maybe they wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

**And this is the end of chapter 7 (only chapter 7!) I'm aiming for 25 chapters for this story, so if we hit chapter 11 by the end of the year then I would be pretty happy.**

**I think next chapter is going to be Capture the Flag. What do you guys think of that?**

**Leave a review if you liked this chapter. And give me some ideas guys!**

**Once again, thank you guys. I'm grateful for you reading this story.**


	8. People

**Le Gasp! This guy is back? Who the hell is he? What kind of sorcery is this?**

**And yes I am finally back with another chapter and I know how I said we would try to get to chapter 11 by the end of last year. Believe me, no-one is more disappointed in myself than myself. **

**So infinite apologies that will hopefully last till the end of this story (I have literally just thrown my calendar out the window).**

**But hey, still better than Starblade 176! But to be fair he does write down massive chapters that should be considered whole new books by their own right.**

**Enough apologies, I'll just let you enjoy this new chapter!**

* * *

June flew by in a flash, and the next thing Diana knew, they were approaching the middle of July. Summer was already half-way gone.

She couldn't believe it, and she didn't really want to admit it; but this summer was starting to be one of the best summers she'd ever had.

Not that any of her previous summers had been particularly bad. But this summer was just … really good.

Well, average really—above average.

Above average, that sounded about right to her.

That particular thought prompted her to think about the standards by which she was comparing her summers with. What was it that made the summer 'above average?' Was it the camp, the place itself? Was it the weather (she had once read about its effects on mood).

"What's got you staying up so late?"

She blinked as her thoughts came to a halt. "Couldn't sleep." She sighed, her eyes travelled to the corner of the laptop screen; _2:17 AM. _

She was also pretending that those bags of skin looking back at her were certainly not hers.

Zoe stifled a yawn and stretched like a cat before moving to the granite benchtop near the sink.

"_Help yourself to coffee."—_ Is what Diana should've said.

But instead she raised her hand weakly, "So, uh… did I wake you up?" The syllables sounded pretty lame even in her own mind.

Zoe took a while to answer, "Yes and no." She offered herself some of the previously non-existent coffee, Diana's poor form of manners left forgotten.

Diana's right foot was rapidly tapping against the ground as Zoe walked over with her cold cup of coffee. Zoe smiled at her as pulled out the chair and sat down; Diana forced a smile back out of politeness — not that it had been quite evident a few moments ago.

"Any particular reason why you're constantly suffering from a lack of sleep?"

Diana was a bit startled. "Did you notice?"

Zoe took a sip of her coffee — frothy, two sugars. "It's my job to look after everyone in this cabin. So when one of them starts to miss out on sleep for two, three nights a week." She pointed at Diana, "I start to notice."

Diana didn't want to tell her the reason why. She didn't want to tell her why when she didn't even really understand it herself. So she bit her lip and stared at the table mindlessly. "I… don't really know. I guess that I'm just a person who doesn't need a lot of sleep."

Zoe nodded as she absorbed the information, Diana expected her to argue, to chastise, anything then a simple, "Okay."

That was it?

Diana frowned in disbelief. "Is that all? You're not going to reprimand me or tell me to get some more sleep or anything?"

Zoe cracked a grin, as if Diana was telling a joke. "I'm pretty sure that in my job description it says 'counsellor', not 'mom', and as far as I can tell you look pretty healthy to me."

Diana wasn't really sure whether Zoe was deliberately trying to be weird. She often had these facetious streaks where no-one really knew if she was being serious or not —and of course the Artemis campers were the sole recipients of her unique brand of humour.

It was such a shame that everyone else was missing out.

Zoe`s grin faded as she got back to business, taking a little while to talk again. "I've been going to this camp for ten years, and I've spent three of those years as a cabin counsellor—"

"Three years," Diana repeated, then frowned ever so faintly. "This is Percy's first year as a counsellor."

Why did Percy come to her mind?

"Yes," Zoe agreed with a nod. "Percy's actually one of the youngest counsellors in this camp, a mantle he shares with Jason Grace."

"So how old are you?"

"Twenty-four. But make sure you tell everyone else that I'm twenty-two."

Diana's laughed and turned towards the window to her left, the water in the lake was glistening under the luminescence of the moon. There were no visible clouds in the dotted skyline— weather in this camp was eerily perfect. A nice kind burning sunlight during the day, and relatively clear skies in the night.

Heaven help the person who tells her it's magical.

"Don't you ever find it depressing?" she finally asked, "To be surrounded by kids like … me."

"No, not really." Zoe said almost too nonchalantly — it made Diana feel just a _tad _uneasy.

Zoe caught Diana's questioning gaze. "Well I obviously don't mean it that_ way. _It's just that if there's one thing I've learnt while at this camp, it's that a lot of the kids here don't have the strength to be weak and sad."

She frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"They just stop being sad," Zoe's said with a weird chuckle. "I think they start to realise just how exhausting it is to sit around and mope all day. This is an opportunity for people to leave stuff behind, to take a breath and tell themselves that it's okay." She looked down to the cup in her hand, watching as her reflection rippled and swirled across the surface. "In the short-term it's so much easier to be sad, but it's absolutely exhausting to _keep being_ sad. And that's about the point where you start to not care at all."

Diana had a feeling that she wasn't just talking about the other campers.

Then silence filled the room, it was not one that was comfortable, and there was certainly some amount of awkwardness to it. One had run out of things to say, and the other was struggling to find it.

"So Hestia's been telling me that Percy's doing pretty well on his lessons," Finally, someone said something.

Diana smiled weakly and stifled a yawn, "Hasn't mutilated any tomatoes of late?"

"It's Percy," Zoe answered with a smile. "Apparently his knife skills are getting along pretty good, and Hestia's working on improving his technique right now."

Diana watched Zoe absentmindedly, her chin on her hand "He must have been really shocked on the different ways of cutting a tomato. Look, I'm sure it's not my job to help the tomato with his emo identity crisis. Is he a fruit or a vegetable?"

Zoe chuckled at her impression. "That sounds like something he would say."

"And you know the thing he does with his hair." Diana ruffled the back of her ginger hair in a zealous attempt to look like Percy. "He says that's because he doesn't want people to think he looks like a try hard. Please."

Zoe continued to smile at her as she asked. "So how are your swimming lessons? I'm guessing that Percy isn't the selfish, arrogant, untrustworthy, stupid male that you'd thought him to be."

"Are they your words or mine?" Zoe made a face, conceding defeat on that one.

Diana took a breath. "But to answer your question… I guess not, he's something else. He's nice, kind of funny."

"Bearable?" Zoe ventured.

Diana thought about her answer for a while, she spoke. "He's not acting, so many people feel the need to act. To act so I think that they're cool, smart, funny…"

"And Percy doesn't act?" Zoe challenged.

"He does," Diana said it more to herself than Zoe. "But he doesn't act to make himself look good in front of 'Miss St' Claire'. He acts like that because he thinks it's his job to make sure everyone else is happy." She blinked, as if a stray thought had just hit her. "But I think we're all acting to be someone we aren't."

She looked at Zoe, who was just sitting and looking at her so innocuously. Diana couldn't help but wonder how on earth she did that, but then again she'd never had one of these 'talks'.

"So that translate into something for you?" Zoe asked, somehow finishing her ever-flowing cup of coffee.

"I … don't know."

It's easy to try to analyse someone else, but it become especially more difficult when you start to look at yourself, when you start to ask the questions that ask questions of you.

The corners of Zoe's mouth curved up ever so imperceptibly, making it an unnerving experience for Diana's already fogged up mind. Her mind wandered to a movie she watched with her dad when she was little. She didn't remember much of it, but there was this interrogation scene where the detective stares into the criminal's eyes, and he just _stares_ into the criminal's eyes until eventually he cracks.

She remembered giggling, "_That's silly daddy. The policeman just asked some questions and then the bad guy told him everything." _

Her dad had laughed with her. "_Well …" _At this point her dad was looking into her eyes. "_I think the bad guy was scared Diana, he was scared of what he had done, and what that was doing to him, and where that had gotten him into. _

Five year old Diana had no idea what her dad was talking about: she thought that he had a weird habit of psychoanalysing movie characters.

But seventeen year old Diana did understand what her dad was talking about, but she wasn't scared, never scared.

She hated herself, she hated everything about herself, everything from how she looked to how she acted – it was never good enough. She hated how people just thought of her as cold, unforgiving, a robot. She hated that when she looked at the mirror she didn't see Diana St' Claire as much as the cold, snappy bitch.

And she definitely hated how the second her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

* * *

Percy was still wondering why on earth they hadn't gotten caught yet. If he had to do a guesstimate based on the amount of noise they were all generating, someone should have knocked down the doors two hours ago.

"JASON, I'M OPEN. PASS IT TO ME!" Leo Valdez — the root of all their evils/problems.

It was only twenty minutes ago when they were having a simple game of _FIFA_ against the computer. Now they were all on the verge of crying; with this exquisite amount of pressure suffocating the air; sweat and metaphorical tears permeated their racing bodies, making Percy feel like he was doing his SAT's all over again. Somehow Leo had convinced Jason to do a wager in Leo's attempt to prove himself as a 'professional' FIFA player. A grand total of five hundred dollars was wagered with the opposing Russians – whom Leo insisted he understood from a short excursion working in a restaurant.

Unfortunately Leo sucked at team work. "PASS TO ME ALREADY! You – oh-my-god-how-the-fuck-did you-lose-the-ball!?"

Jason glared at Leo – he clearly blamed him for throwing him under the bus, his voice matching his gaze. "I told you that I only had one good controller, the other three I found at a bargain bin."

Percy tried to keep them together, "Guys, pay attention! We're already one-nil down."

Nico was no help at all. "So what colour am I?"

Leo answered first, "White."

There was a mournful sigh from Nico. "Still love you Leo."

Leo grinned, "Thanks man."

Jason narrowly missed a slide tackle that would've broken his virtual player. "Uhh… I'm yellow, Percy's blue, Leo's red and you're black."

"I call racist," Leo took a sip from his soda hat, "Someone pass the ball to me already!"

"Here," Percy switched the ball to Leo on the other side of the field. "I'm not getting how that was racist."

Leo raised a single finger. "Subtlety my dear man, a type of reverse psychology—" Leo's hands and voice were suddenly gone, like somebody had pressed a fast forward button on him.

By the time Percy caught up he had already lost forty seconds, but he managed to catch snippets of the end.

"—so by forcing a different colour on someone you dehumanise them into something else … In conclusion: by calling Nico 'black' you kind of reduce him from who he really is, and that is white, it's what I would call 'invert racism', and it happens absolutely everywhere."

Percy could only nod like he knew what Leo was talking about. And for a while the room was only filled with the noise of button mashing and the clicking of thumbsticks.

Finally Jason spoke, "Would you explain it to me again Leo?"

Nico groaned and closed his eyes, "Fuck me dead."

Leo shot Nico a pointed glance, "Hey!" But he quickly caught on, "OH SHIT NO! Everybody to your battle stations!"

Percy didn't know how they all managed to scream in sync, but they for hell sure didn't run back in sync. It really didn't help that Leo was making a police siren concert with his mouth.

Jason:Why are you running into me?!

Percy: Me? Why are you running into me?

Jason: I've got FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ON THE LINE! I THINK I CAN BE A BIT PANICKY.

Percy: STOP BLAMING ME FOR YOUR BAD LIFE DECISIONS!

Jason: I'LL BLAME WHOEVER THE HELL I WANT I'M FUCKING RICH GODDAMNIT.

Leo: WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS? JASON THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!

Jason: FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!

Nico starts to laugh: Shit … we just conceded, we're two-nil down.

They managed to score one a few minutes after that, but in the end they still lost.

They'd lost. Percy could hear the raspy shouts and cheers of Russian from the speakers on the TV.

Leo had bet five hundred dollars on the result.

They obviously didn't pay.

* * *

It was a still night, the cries of silence could be heard anywhere and everywhere.

It was not a dead world, for Diana could feel the faint whispers following her; every crackling step, every shaky breath, and every slow tremor from her own racing heart.

Everything was so confusingly _backward_.

She saw herself look up, at the sky, or what one could see of the sky. A fine grey blanket covered its velvety texture, and Diana couldn't understand why she'd laugh at that, or why she thought the sky was the beard of a giant.

No, not the sky, just the clouds, the clouds were the beard of a giant?

But not everything was lost, for she had the moon, for the moon refused to be confined by some pesky beard or by the sun — for the moon is there even when the sun has risen, and remains there in the sky long after the sun sets. Not by laws, nor by physics or gravity or even the rotation of the earth, but by choice.

She _chose_ to be there, and she chose to be here now, and gods that was the only thing that should have mattered to her.

Then she felt herself run, run, and she ran faster than she'd ever run before. It was exhilarating, not really the wind in her hair, nor the leaves under her feet, but it was the pure act of running, and she _enjoyed _it. It was running without a care in the world, not knowing where you were or where you were going, the freedom she'd felt made her laugh and giggle and this time it didn't come out like asthmatic wheezes. The utter and inexplicable joy that she felt could not be documented down.

It was a while before she'd arrived at-where-she-was-totally-not-aiming-to-go.

Like most stories, it started with a boy with black hair and green eyes. But unlike most stories, he was around her age of fourteen.

"Aren't you going to get into trouble?"

Since when did he care about that?

"I sneaked out."

"And you're not going to get caught?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Do you think it's the first time I've done this?"

She heard a whistle. "I never knew you were such a rebel."

"You know my father, he still thinks that I'm a little girl."

There was a very loud cough that was absolutely not meant to be a laugh. "His little girl, that's a good one." She glared at him, and even in the dark of the night, she could see him perfectly well.

There was then a loud snap as she heard the sounds of sticks colliding against each other; there was the rustle of friction, then the spark of a flame sitting right ahead, it flickered and struggled even in the silence of the night.

"Come on… almost there."

It was all over with a roll of her eyes, the little spark bloomed into a roaring fire, and it was then that Diana saw who she was talking to.

Percy looked at her, a whisper of smoke drifting up from his eyebrows, "You kind of ruined it, I really wanted to light the fire myself."

And Diana really wanted to ask what the hell were they doing here, but instead she broke a stick in half and threw it into the fire. "Don't think of it as you not being able to do it yourself, think of it as me doing you a favour."

Percy arched an eyebrow, "Are you trying to say that I'm incompetent?"

_Diana didn't understand what the hell was going on. _

"I don't know, Are you incompetent?"

"If it was up to you Arty my competency level would have to be like a god," Percy said. The two smirked at each other, leaving Diana to think that there was something she'd missed.

"And instead you have one of a log."

He shrugged, "It's not my fault that you're such a bog."

She started to laugh as she thought of the next sentence. "If only you weren't filled with so much vog."

"Ouch," Percy said then frowned in thought, his fingers tracing outlines in the air. "Hey, I think we're onto something here."

She smirked. "You having the mental capacity of a log?"

"No!" Percy laughed, "It's the sound of those sentences, it has a certain … musical quality."

"Musical quality?" she said sceptically. "Are you going sing me a song?"

"Ahh," Percy clutched his chest as if he was shot. It was only then that Diana realised how he wasn't wearing a shirt, instead it was a simple brown tunic. It kind of reminded her of Hercules. She looked down at her own clothes, which was a type of slivery garb. Diana didn't exactly pay attention in her History classes, but she was pretty sure that they hadn't invented sliver dye yet; at least the ones she was wearing right now, it practically _glowed. _

An exasperated voice dragged her attention back to this. "Come on Perseus, you're fine. . . You're acting like a child."

Percy immediately propped back up, a glint in his eyes as he said. "I am a child."

She broke another stick and threw it into the fire, "In Sparta you would've already been taken to the training camps-"

"-And whipped in front of the goddess Artemis?" He said with tongue-in-cheek.

Diana was a bit surprised when silence once again filled the air, there was no witty comebacks from 'Percy' and the girl in front of her was silent, but she had glared at him for his last comment. Diana felt like she was watching one of those old western movies set in the bush, where the cowboys would just stare into the fire for the whole scene, except it was Greek looking.

It was a while before he spoke again, "Hey Arty."

Diana saw silvereyes reflecting the flames of the fire. "What?"

"Gotcha."

The last thing she felt was the knife flying past her face.

* * *

Even though it was only 2 PM in the afternoon, Percy was vainly engrossed into his own thoughts, so much so that he didn't even realise that someone was in front of him until their hand was right in front of his face.

"Percy I've finished my lap."

"Percy?"

"Percy!" Now Diana was starting to think that he was deaf.

"PERCY JACKSON!" There was a response after that, as Percy Jackson promptly fell into the twenty-one degree waters of Half-Blood Lake.

He quickly flew back up in an attempt to salvage any strand of dignity, but by then it was already too late.

Diana was giggling, she was actually smiling and giggling at him.

Her red hair was shaking off her shoulders as her laugh created this dazzling, warm, fuzzy feeling in the back of his head and in the pits of his stomach.

Now Percy Jackson was not a stranger to the thought of girls laughing at him; and he was also strangely familiar with the quiet yet perceivable sound of Diana's usual laughter. But he had no idea that this kind of laughter even existed, and yet here he was; a witness.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck as Diana continued to laugh, his dark hair dripping down to his eyes.

Diana's laughter quietly turned into a smile again, she shook her head. "The way you jumped back when I yelled, and the look on your face. Okay, okay, I'm sorry, it wasn't that funny."

Percy snorted, "Right, of course. You didn't laugh at all."

Diana moved her arms back and forward through the water. "So what are we doing next?" She glanced back towards the shore, "And is there a reason why we have a rescue group waiting for us on the shoreline?"

Percy looked at her. "A rescue group? What, are you going to drown in a metre of water?"

"I just might." She looked back pointedly. She then turned back to the shore, "Seriously, what are they doing there?" A small crowd had been gathering for the last two weeks, it wasn't noticeable at first, but like a dam leak it continued until it was impossible to not notice.

Percy shielded his eyes as he surveyed the shoreline, he sighed. "I don't really know." He waved to one of those aforementioned guys, who replied with a loud hello.

Diana wrapped her arms around her torso. "What if they laugh at me?" Percy laughed at that.

Her green eyes glowed faintly as she said, "I'm serious. I am absolutely terrible in the water." It was cold and deep and murky and she couldn't see the bottom and everything-about-it-kind-of-terrified-her.

Percy glanced over to Diana. It was then that he reminded himself that for all her heated arguments and glares; for all her initial hostility, Diana St' Clare was so much more than that. She was smart and into art, she was terrified of the water – it was a thudding reminder that Diana St' Clare was not the person she wanted to be.

"No one's here to laugh at you." He said softly, trying to gather up the words he was going to use. "You're a pretty fantastic swimmer for someone who just started a month ago. Look what you just did! You just swam thirty metres and back."

"That's not that big of an accomplishment." Diana said.

"And that's fine because I have no idea what I'm doing either." Percy remarked with a grin, "So I guess that we're both going to be embarrassed when you fail."

Diana raised an eyebrow at him.

He turned it around with an equally pointed look, "And are you asking if you're going to fail? Cause the moment you say you're going to fail is the moment that you really do."

Diana looked at him. There was a pause; then a sigh.

Percy continued, "You're also coming along brilliantly with your butterflies, and as you progresses I'm sure we'll work on improving all your other strokes. Look, considering when you first started you would've drowned with gills on," he ran a hand through his hair as he muttered, "You're fantastic- I MEAN, doing fantastic, not that I said something before that no sir."

Diana frowned and slowly punched Percy, luckily for him she didn't catch what he had said. "Thanks for that. I guess I'm still a bit nervous about it all… And cold."

Percy looked at her, laughing out of pure anxiety. "You seriously think its cold?" It felt blisteringly hot to him.

Diana frowned as she asked him, "You've never been to Ohio before?"

Percy ruffled the back of his head, "I… didn't realise that you were from Ohio." The way she said it, it was a little condescending.

"Oh wow." Diana had a sheepish look on her face. "I forgot, I'd never told you that I was from Ohio. And I just spoke to you like that."

"Don't worry about it," Percy laughed it off, he was a little surprised at how genuine Diana seemed about it all. "What do you think of practicing some of your breastrokes?"

Diana started to paddle further out to the left as she asked, "You're going to watch me in case I sink right?" Maybe it was how skinny she was, but she was a natural sinker in the water.

Percy winked and saluted as he watched Diana swim away, "Aye, aye Captain Arty."

"Shut up Perseus!"

She still felt extremely uncomfortable about those names, and she definitely didn't like the hollow feelings her stomach did when Percy smiled at her like that.

* * *

It was in the late afternoon when the horn sounded for Capture the Flag.

Diana forced herself not to groan as she closed her eyes and fell back into her bed with a thump. Her hair was still wet from her shower. She squinted, trying to block out the sunlight with an arm.

It wasn't like she didn't want to play; she loved Capture the Flag, and she loved it even more when her cabin won (especially considering how their current two-match win streak).

"I'm exhausted." She didn't know why she'd said that aloud, sometimes she would talk with herself – quietly of course, lest anyone caught onto the fact that she was undeniably crazy.

There was a noise of agreement from the other side of the room. "I know what you mean Di." That was Alyessa, one of the other younger girls in the cabin. "But you know what Zoe's like when it comes to capture the flag.

This time Diana didn't hold back her groan, grabbing a pillow to block out the lights better. "Don't remind me of that. I don't know why she has to be like that, all super competitive." She finally gave up sleeping and propped herself up. "I mean … You would think that she would at least be consistent?"

"Well… There are rumours," Alyessa started off.

Diana couldn't help but inwardly groan, this camp should be called _Gossip Girl_. There was more gossiping here than there is on the actual show.

"But they're probably just rumours started by stupid boys."

Diana thought that Alyessa was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

"But…" Alyessa bit her lip, looked at Diana and back, before finally managing to resolve her guilty dilemma. "Okay I'll tell you!"

So Alyessa told Diana the supposed story of how Zoe` Nightshade managed to become the Zoe Nightshade that they all knew today; the one that was regarded by so many as bitchy, hateful, pretentious, cynical. This was the old Zoe`, the one before she'd found herself being told that she was 'bitchy' and 'pretentious'.

"Growing up Zoe` had five sisters, and they were all super competitive with each other in everything. You name it: School, sports, music, people… and boys, especially with men."

Alyessa tugged at the ponytail around her shoulders. "And this man Zoe` met, he was bad! Like super manipulative! Apparently he was playing around with Zoe and all her sisters at the same time. Zoe` had it the worst, the guy even told her that he'd loved her."

"Anyway, the thing was that Zoe`s father was this high ranking general in the army and he was _strict_, like really strict, but he safeguarded a lot of expensive military equipment and information in his house. And one night, while Zoe's folks were out of town, the house alarm went off in the middle of the night. Then the guy broke into Zoe's room holding a laptop that he had stolen her father's safe, and asked her for help getting out."

Diana leaned forward on her bed, "And? Did Zoe help him get out?"

Alyessa suddenly stopped her narration, her lips pursed, hands running down her hair. "That's it. That's all I know of the story. But, you know… Zoe` doesn't like to mention anything about her own family, and how she said she had spent some time on the streets."

Diana was lost in her own clouded thoughts as she absorbed the story, watching as actual grey clouds formed. "What do you think happened? With the man and everything?" It was a quiet sentence, trancelike, but somehow Diana's voice made the furnished cabin feel hollow.

Alyessa also followed her gaze outside, to the bearded sky. "Maybe… Do you remember that really strange thing Zoe` said last week when Alison's boyfriend broke up with her? We all expected her to get all mad."

"You think she was talking about herself?" Diana asked.

"I don't know," Alyessa said. "But she had seemed really sincere about it.

Diana nodded. It was the first time ever anyone had seen Zoe` cry, even if it was just a little.

But the words, the words were burnt into the back of Diana's mind. It caused her heart to hope for something that she wasn't really even sure existed.

"She said: There are times where it seems like love could just be a source of suffering, but then it might also be the little piece of string that gets us out of our little labyrinth."

* * *

It was a little while before Diana was being so enamoured with the tragedy of Zoe Nightshade that a cabin door was being lethargically opened; and Nico Di Angelo groggily noted how Percy was trudging into the cabin at the same slow speed of the closing door. His hair was wet, and his eyes were almost closing in on themselves.

Nico knew he should get up and close the door properly, but he really couldn't be bothered to get up from his comfy seat on the far side of the room. Besides, it was _really really _hot.

"Oi, Emo face. Close the door would you? You might let the flies into the cabin." Unfortunately, Thalia Grace had thought that this was a good moment to stop in the middle of the stairs.

"Who… am I looking that bad?" Percy had his left arm on the railings of a bed, his eyes closed in a quest to have enough energy left for Capture the Flag.

Thalia gave him a quick once over. "I was talking to Nico over here; you just look like you're trying too hard."

Connor was snickering from behind Percy. "That was pretty savage bro, are you gonna take that?"

Percy just sighed, Thalia sometimes took this thing too far, to the point that the idea of a joke disappears entirely.

Thalia raised an eyebrow as she completed her descent down the stairs, cradling a white bundle on her arm. "Why not Connor? You look like you're doing okay."

Out of the two other dark-haired boys in the room, only one of them burst into laughter, the other looked chillingly apathetic. However the sound of laughter was soon overshadowed by the loud horn echoing through the camp.

Nico stood up and walked to the door, finally closing it. "Is it that time of the month again? No pun intended." Thalia looked like she didn't know whether to smile or deck Nico's head in.

Last year they had introduced a new tradition to their traditional games of Capture the Flag. Where once a month a cabin was randomly selected to host their perpetual game, and that cabin had to put their own personal touches on the game, a kind of revamp.

Nico remembered the time his cabin did theirs and turned it into a night game. The two teams had to try and find each other's flags in complete, literal semi-darkness, with only an admittedly giant field lamp as a source of light.

He laughed to himself as he leaned against the wooden door. He got his cabin to dress themselves up in scary costumes (think ghouls, demons and Grim Reapers). They were supposed to 'capture' campers who had strayed too far from his boundary lines.

But really, they captured whoever they liked, and yes, he did get in a lot of trouble because some of the campers tripped over a stick and hurt themselves. Good times.

"Whose doing it this month?" Connor asked, twiddling his thumbs like one of the kids in the Hermes Cabin.

Thalia answered him with a scoff. "We're probably not going to get one at all this week — too busy looking into the mirror."

"Thals." Percy pointed at her, "You're stereotyping again." Percy wished that she would stop because he was tired and they weren't really that good of friends for him to ignore it.

"It's not my fault if it's true, and it's definitely _not_ my fault if they actually embrace those stereotypes, this idea that they 'need to be' a certain type of person."

"Piper is definitely not like that, she is her own person." Percy said, the way his jaw was tensing should have ended the conversation.

Thalia blinked, she had kind of forgotten about that. "Yeah well … I don't know why Piper wanted to stick with those kids. She could have gone absolutely anywhere. Those kids are fine with their make-up and their dolls and their mirr-"

"Shut up Thalia!"

"Wha-what?" Thalia spluttered, totally perplexed on what had made Percy so annoyed. "Those kids have it so far up their own butts, you can't say that they haven't pissed you off. Even that Diana chick-"

Percy stood up with a ferocity that immediately made everyone else stand up just as fast.

Nico started to run over. "Hey man." Percy ignored the hell out of him like someone would ignore fear in the face of adrenaline. He was so so tired of how Thalia was treating everyone, and it created this sickening feeling in his chest for so many different reasons.

"You think you're so perfect don't you? Talking about everyone else as if they're beneath you, imagining them to be something less than who they are, who they deserve to be. You know… Why the hell am I talking to you about this anyway? You should know the feeling better than anyone, that suffocating and lonely feeling of being nothing in an empty world of packed people, that feeling of feeling like absolute _shit _when you're crying yourself to sleep. When it seems like no-one and no-one would even care about whether you live or die, when you can't get yourself to accept those beautiful people who try so desperately hard to love you even when you desperately need it."

Percy continued, his blue eyes emphasising every single emotion stormed to the forefront of his mind, that ones that made him so painfully human. "And I don't know, ma-maybe people act and put on masks and do whatever else fit in, but they do it because they just want to fit in, to feel for a small moment, like they belong. Maybe that's okay and maybe that's not, but damn it Thalia! I know that it is none of your business whether or not they do."

"People should not be in the business of judging people for trying to be people."

* * *

**So there were a lot of things I wanted to tackle with this chapter, and I promise CTF is next chapter! I just thought this was a good place to stop.**

**How people look at Diana and how they read her. She is a normal normal girl, as normal and as flawed as they come! She is not Artemis and she any attempt to do so is a type of 'invert racism'. Thanks Leo! **

**Zoe's story. I wanted to further develop her character as a counsellor.**

**What do the dreams mean? Something along the lines of nothing and everything!**

**Percy gets really mad! Thalia has touched on something that he feels personally about.**

**Pertemis is coming guys! **

**And also a shoutout to my great friend Korra (daughterofeos11). If for some reason you don't like this story, check her out (Enemies, and the Riddle) because you'll find some of my touches in there ;) And the latest gossip has told me she's going to update soon. RIP ALAN RICKMAN **

**But seriously she is a great writer and it has been really great to work with her and to be her friend and to have amazing discussions. A lot of what I write comes from talks I have with her!**

**But seriously, thank you for reading, especially if you're an old one. Thanks for sticking with me.**


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